Stranger Skies
by Leviiidopa-Serotonin
Summary: Life wouldn't be easy if you have a narcissistic, self-destructive father and you're planning to have a simple life as a scientist. That all changes when she encounters the God of Mischief. Trouble starts to follow her as she tried to worm her way into the cold heart of the rightful king of Jotunheim. LokixOC Slight: TonyXPepper, ThorxJane, BrucexNatasha
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel franchise. I only own my own characters.**

 **Author's Note: This all started after Iron Man 2 where Tony was just been awarded by the US with Rhodey.**

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 **Chapter 1:**

 **The Starks**

Having a genius, billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist for a father, normal life would probably be out of the question. Don't get the wrong idea. Tony was the perfect father and she couldn't ask for more but having a stubborn, self-destructive, and narcissistic father who still doesn't act his age despite having a twenty-year-old daughter, life wouldn't be easy; especially when said father made enemies everywhere around the globe.

Let's just say for example, when the said father was taken by terrorist for three months and have him build the most destructive weapon ever created. Of course, said father didn't do it instead he made a suit that can battle thousands of armed terrorist.

Another example was when said father made drones for an enemy resulting in the almost mass destruction of the city. And many more examples that she memorized by heart but would not want to mention it as it would probably result in a headache.

The corner of her eye twitched in annoyance as she watched the said father in an intercom acting all innocent with his puppy eyes and pouty lips. She was angry, that's for sure. This man didn't know how anxious would eat her up at night whenever things like that happened.

"Come on, Little Owl," he begged, still wearing his puppy eyes. "Can't you forgive this old man one more time?" He pleaded, puckering his lips for added effect.

"I don't know, can you act like an old man?" She hissed as she glared at him. She was working when she saw the news about how her father saved the city and how it almost killed him. AGAIN.

"Okay, I take that back. I'm not an old man," He blurted then smiled at her again only to drop it when her glare intensifies. "Nemo, I know you're worried but honestly, I'm 89.2% fine. The 10.8% came from Rhodey's punch so, you know," He said while rubbing the bruises that was starting to turn black near his left eye and to emphasize his statement, he gives a 360 degree for her to check.

"And I heard from Pepper that your fight with Uncle Rhodey broke my private library!" she exclaimed through the intercom, she was talking about his birthday party where it got out of hand, making Rhodey wear one of his suits to try and stop him. It ended up so badly that half of their house in Malibu was a disaster; including her private library. She was in the middle of her research when that happened. "You guys burned forty-eight books and twelve of it was limited edition!" She growled. Despite knowing Tony can get another copy of that limited edition books, she was still angry. She noticed Tony cringed at her before sighing.

"I only managed to burn one limited edition. It was Rhodey's fault for the other eleven books," Tony accused, making someone from the background yell 'HEY! It was an accident! Stop making it look like I burned it on purpose.' She narrowed her eyes when Rhodey appeared from the call with a big smile to greet her but suddenly dropped it and moved away when he saw the glare. "I promise you before you can go back here, everything's fixed. Rhodey will buy all of the books. Of course, it will be from his money and not mine because he did burn eleven books so he's responsible for buying it. Ah- no complaining, Rhodey. I'll do the building stuff, and I know you won't help," He said when he saw his best friend opened his mouth to say something.

"Anyway, let's change the topic, shall we? How's work?" He asked and sat back on his chair as he tinkers with something. She knows he knows that she loves to talk about her work and that always gets him out of trouble.

"It's the usual," She answered. "My superior wouldn't let me go on with the project I'm trying to work on," She complained making Tony raised an eyebrow.

With her extraordinary intellect, she was accepted to college at the age of 14 and took two bachelors at the same time. She managed to graduate at the age of 17 much to her professors' surprise. At the same age she studied for her Masters and Doctors. Tony couldn't be any more proud at that. At age 19, she graduated cum laude in her Ph.D. in Molecular Microbiology and Molecular Physics.

"What project?" he questioned. "Please don't tell me you have found a way to turn humanity into zombies," He teased to which she rolled her eyes at. She loved watching Zombies whereas Tony finds them disgusting. He just won't admit that he was scared of Zombies.

"Don't be silly, daddy. I wish I have but really, that's not it," She snorted making Tony chuckle for a bit. "It's actually just a theory. You remember what I told you back then about the new microorganism we discovered? About how it could not really die? They just stay dormant?"

"Yeah? What about it?" He pondered. Clio moved closer to the intercom with a glint in her eyes indicating how excited she was about this.

She then proceeded to tell her the theory she had come up with.

"So, why doesn't your supervisor let you go on this project?" he asked.

"That I don't know, though he did say that I'm not yet ready for it, and it's too dangerous to go further. I mean, how humanity can take a step forward if they're afraid of this dangerous stuff," She complained, groaning then straightened up when she remembered something. "Hey, I heard from Pepper that you created a new element," She started eyeing the man on the intercom.

"You're hearing a lot from Pepper about me," He scolded mockingly but then grinned. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about, Little Owl. But I need to talk to you in person. Oh, Rhodey and I are going to be awarded next week; almost forgot to mention it to you. You're coming, right?"

Clio scowled, "Next week?" She made a mental rain-check of her schedule and sighed. "Dad, I can't come home next week."

Tony raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean? I thought you said you'll spend your four days vacation here at Malibu?"

She looked away from him feeling agitated, "Well, you see, my friends were going to New Mexico and they invited me to come too," She stole a peek at the intercom through her peripheral view and saw her father sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Little Owl, you're doing that lip thing where you keep puckering your lips when you're nervous," He commented. Clio sighed and decided to stare at him through the intercom.

"Are you mad?" She asked slowly. Tony shook his head and let out a chuckle.

"You're already twenty; Nemo and you're worried that I'll be mad at you for going out and having fun?" Tony jokingly claimed with raised his eyebrow.

"You were expecting me so I thought that you'll get mad," Clio said with a sigh and rolled her eyes.

"Know what, Sugarplum? Go and have fun. You're always working and studying that you probably don't have time to enjoy things," He said and gave her a wink.

"Is that you talking, Daddy?" She pointed out and Tony raised a finger at her. Tony glared at her jokingly to which made her laugh. "I do go on vacation,"

"Vacation anywhere but Malibu, sweetheart!" he scolded. "You've only been to Washington and to Malibu and back. Go have fun with your newfound friends, Clio."

"You make it sound like it's my first time having friends," She grumbled; Tony grinned at her.

"It's your first time going out of town with friends," Tony pointed out. "Come on, Cheesecake. You know what I mean."

Clio grinned at her dad, "Thank you, Daddy." She stated admiringly and gave him a kiss through the intercom.

"Oh, but remember, NO boys. The golden rule!" He stated quickly before she could end the call; she groaned.

"You were just lecturing me about being twenty a while ago!" She exclaimed. Tony smirked at her.

"Have fun, Cheesecake. But not too much fun!" He joked before turning off the intercom.

 **~0~**

To their utmost disappointment, when they arrived in New Mexico agencies were already surrounding the perimeter of the fallen relics. They heard about the thing that fell out of the sky which is immovable and they wanted to see it before agencies and other organizations take claim of it but unfortunately, no relics will be seen.

"Well, that sucks," Ian, one of her friends complained as he ran his fingers through his hair. "What now?" Turning around, he gazed to each of them.

When they arrived at the site, it was already swarming with agents. Clio couldn't help but sigh in disappointment. It was her first out-of-town experience and yet they never got to see their first priority in this vacation.

"Well, the receptionist at the hotel did say there's a canyon an hour and a half hike from here and when you get to the canyon at night the stars were at their brightest," Kate informed them as she adjusted her glasses on the bridge of her nose.

"Yo, that's a great idea!" Ian exclaimed excitedly. He turned to Clio who shifted uncomfortably but went unnoticed. "What do you say, Clio?"

"Um, yeah sure, that'll be great," She muttered half-heartedly.

Clio bit her lip at the suggestion. The last hike she went to was when she was 15 years old with Tony, Pepper, and Happy. Despite the three only being visible, she knew there were her father's bodyguards near the perimeter watching over them. It was enjoyable at first but despite having a lot of bodyguards, Stark never imagined she would stumble down a steep cliff and was lucky enough to land on a big rock instead of rolling further down the cliff and onto her most probable death. It took four hours to get her to safety. She should have declined the offer but then it would look like she was a buzz kill.

 **~0~**

After preparing their things, they set off at exactly 3 pm to meet their guide. They decided that once they've reached their destination, they will camp for the night and would hike back down to the hotel early in the morning.

They've been hiking for half an hour when Clio felt the unease left her body. She felt relaxed as she chatted with her friends. She leaned on a tree as their group stopped for a little rest. Her stormy gray eyes surveyed the area. There were a lot of trees but most were big rocks. They've passed several empty caves on their way but their guide warned not to go inside as they might encounter wild animals like snakes.

She straightened and went to look around the perimeter. Her friends were busy listening to the story the guide was telling them. She was only half-listening to it as she was not sure whether to believe the myths he was telling. A small path caught her sight. It was a narrow one and she could have missed it if it weren't for the ray of sun hitting her eyes making her stare at the path. Somehow it looked intriguing and decided to explore it.

"Hey, guys I'll just take a look around," she informed them.

"Don't stray too far, ma'am. It's almost getting dark," said the guide abruptly and she only nodded in return before following the path. Her feet brought her to a hidden ledge near the cliff.

Panic settled in the pit of her stomach when she remembered her fall. Her hand automatically grabbed the big boulder besides her when she felt her knees turning jelly.

"Okay, calm down, Clio," she chastised herself and breathed deep. It had been 6 years now and she's a full-pledged doctor with two PhD's already and an upcoming another one!

It was a fair good meter from the edge of the ledge to where she was crouched but she could see how far the fall would be if she ever did fall down. Oh, if her father could see her now he'd probably laugh and help her back but her father wasn't here and so were her friends. No one can help her right now. She gasped for air as she tried to calm herself down.

Closing her eyes, she counted from one to ten. When anxiety finally left her system, she slowly opened her eyes and widened when her gaze was pointed to the view. The view gave her miles around. The sun was a deep orange casting shadow from the mountains ahead as it settled down. She could see where the organization set a camp around the relic that fell out of the sky. She could see where their hotel was located in a small town. It was a breathtaking view.

Feeling herself calm down, she slowly stood up and brought out her camera to capture the beautiful view. She was always focused on work, always so focused to make her father proud that she had forgotten how beautiful her planet can be if you looked at different angles. In a daze of the beauty, she unconsciously took a step forward and more not knowing she was already at the verge of the ledge. And as if waking from a trance, her eyes widened at the position she was in.

"Oh shit!" She muttered as her heart beat rapidly. She cursed and made a crouched but it was too late for her to realize how soft the foundation she was in and before she could grab the boulder, she fell down. She felt déjà vu hit her system when her back hit a branch of a tree before continuing to fall down. Closing her eyes, her life suddenly flashed before her eyes. She saw her father. The last time they talked was over the intercom. How she wished at that moment that she could go home to hug him and tell him how thankful she was for the life he had given her. Before she could think further, her back landed hard and her body made a rollover, thinking fast, she tried to grab something to stop her body from falling even further.

She groaned as she tried to feel her body. She was lucky enough again there was another ledger, a bigger one than the one she was standing a while ago. A cough escaped her lips and ever slowly tried to sit up. Trees and boulders surrounded her. She looked up and saw how high she fell down.

"God, it's a miracle I'm still alive," She muttered but cursed loudly when pain shot through her right ankle up to her leg. She could also feel a rib or two was broken. "Miracle, my ass," she spotted her backpack several paces away from her. She pulled herself up using a boulder but the pain was so unbearable that she could see spots dance in her eyes. "I'm going to die," She muttered before falling back down to the ground.

 **~0~**

The sound of thunder jerks her awake. The movement shot pain through her body again and she cursed. How can she still be alive? She looked around and noticed nighttime had fallen; the night breeze howled and she shivered slightly.

"Oh well, if the fall won't kill me, hypothermia will," She growled bitterly. Another sound of thunder made her scream in fright but what she saw made her stop abruptly. A bright light suddenly appeared from the other side of the boulder. Her eyes widened at the green bright light. "I must really be in heaven," She couldn't help the sarcasm. In her own offense, she was dying and she couldn't help it. She probably got that from her dad.

She blinked several times and tried to shake her head just in case she was still unconscious from the fall and that a very bright light and out came a man wearing a helmet with horns was all just a part of her unconscious mind playing tricks on her.

She tried to pinch herself and stifled a yelp when it did hurt her. Wow, she was not dreaming. She eyed the man before her and thanked the gods that she had fallen where there was a small boulder between them or he might have seen her already.

The man stopped several steps away from her and surveyed the area. To her utmost shock, the man glowed green and with it came the slow change of his weird clothing into something more formal. She gasped at the sight and the sound made the man turned in her direction. Having a fast reflex, she hid behind the boulder and closed her eyes. It was then that she heard a hissing sound that made her snap her eyes open and come face to face with a rattlesnake. She yelped and tried to back away quickly from the snake but unfortunately, the startled snake reacted quickly than her and sank its fang to her right calf.

She screamed in pain and shook her feet as adrenaline rushed through her veins. Before the snake could do anything more harm to her, it was lifted by a pair of hands and was casually thrown away. She looked up and saw the same man before staring at her; green eyes meeting stormy gray ones.

"You mortals do amaze me with your idiocy," He stated; voice deep and has an accent like one of the Victorian writers back in the days. It suddenly dawned on her that he just insulted her.

"I'm not an idiot!" She defended and tried to stand; forgetting her bad ankle she lost balance and fell back. She suddenly felt dizzy and her heart started pounding very hard in her chest. She tried to get up again but a pair of hands held her down.

"Sit back down," He commanded and grabbed her calf. "I have forgotten how fragile you humans are. If it was me who was bitten, there wouldn't be any effect at all," He muttered to himself and Clio couldn't help but stare at the man in front of her but her visions were starting to blur.

"Who are you?" She whispered as she tried to get her breathing right but to no avail. The man did not answer and thus started waving his hand above her calf as green light swirl from his finger. "You don't belong here, do you?"

The man looked up at her and sighed exasperatedly. "What am I doing? I'll just leave you here and die. It's your fate as a human to die shortly, anyway," He said nonchalantly and tried to stand when she grabbed the hem of his clothes lightly. He stared back at her and was ready to lash out at her when he saw her half-lidded eyes trying to refocus back on him. Despite the darkness surrounding them, he could very well see how gray her eyes were. It was an unusual shade of gray and thought for a moment if she really was a human.

"At least tell me your name," She muttered as she tried to swallow. The man stared at her for a moment trying to assess the situation but thus opened his mouth before she lost consciousness again and say:

"I am Loki, son of Odin, king of Asgard.

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 **Author's Note: Please leave a rating and review, guys! Very much appreciated in advance!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel franchise. I only own my own characters.**

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 **Chapter 2:**

 **Relic**

Being in a scientific field, one must always be ready for the worst: death. Of course, that's part of life. As an aspiring student in her field, she was not ready for it. No one is actually. She spent most of her life watching life grow and die and eventually decay in a microscope. Culturing microorganism and eventually killing it. She always thought of dying peacefully; no pain. But it felt like she was constantly wading through the mud and at the same time, it felt like the mud was filled with broken glass as she tried to get herself free. It was excruciating.

'Death is a bitch.' She thought. She tried to remember the last thing she saw before succumbing into the darkness. It was green; like emeralds, like the emerald earrings, her father gave her on her 18th birthday. But it does not feel like it was a jewelry she was staring at before she died.

That's when she remembered. The man that she saw came out of the bright light that descended from the sky. 'Must've been my angel welcoming me back to heaven.' She thought.

Another pain shot through her chest and she yelled and with that, she bolted straight up. Her yell came to an abrupt stop when she realized where she was. This was not heaven. It was dark outside and was raining hard; noticing she was sitting inside a cave or something.

"Finally," Her head turned, which she regretted as another pain shot through her head, and met the same man with the green eyes.

"You," she muttered as she gawked at him. "You're real?"

"Of course, I am real," He said and rolled his eyes before walking over to her. He crouched in front of her and gazed at her eyes. She suddenly felt conscious of herself and looked away. "I've healed your ankle and the snake bite and the scratches and wound from who knows where you got them from."

'Healed?' she thought and surveyed her body. Now she remembered what happened. She fell down the cliff and was bitten by a rattlesnake. She thought it was all just a dream, no wonder it felt so real. Except for a severe headache she was experiencing, she was fine. It even looked like she did not fall from the ledge. "Where am I?" she asked as she looked around. It was just a small cave but enough space to even light a fire and still have room for more.

"We're inside a cave," He explained not bothering to give her a glance. He stood up and walked to the opposite side of the cave and sat down. The cave was a little chilly despite the bonfire he set up. She stared at him. He was wearing a gray old-fashioned suit with a checkered green and white scarf around his neck. He was lean-built and very tall, she observed. His black hair was sleek back to his head. He was fair almost pale.

"If I remember correctly, you said your name is Loki?" she started, earning a grunt from her companion. "How did you manage to heal my wounds? It's like I've never fallen from a cliff," She inquired and moved her arms to emphasize her point.

"So you fell? No wonder you broke many bones," He commented bemusedly. "I healed you using my magic."

She scowled at his statement, "Magic? What are you, a kid? Magic isn't real," then a chuckle was released from her but then abruptly stop when he glared at her.

"You dare laugh at a God?" He bellowed through gritted teeth. Fear suddenly gripped her being but then he sighed and ran his hand through his hair; as if to calm himself down. What a weird guy, she thought.

He then waved his hand and out came a green aura; the same aura she saw before she went unconscious. The same one she thought she just dreamed.

She gasped as her eyes widened at the sight of his hand emitting a small flower, the size of a coin, which was made from what looked like a crystal; colored light blue. He stared at it for a long time as if in disappointment before tossing it to her to which she caught luckily. She stared at the beautiful relic. It was the shape of a flower, she thought. She had never seen this kind of flower but it must be present to where he came from.

She smiled widely before chuckling. "Oh, Gods!" She exclaimed and gasped gazing back at him with wonder. "This is unbelievable! What… how did you do that? Are you really a god?" she brought her gaze back to the object and surveyed; turning it around on her palm.

"Yes," he replied; his expression quite confused but then sighed and shook his head. "Does that amaze you, mortal?" She looked up at the name.

"Mortal? That's a rude way to call a woman. I have a name, you know. It's Clio." She said and smiled at the man before her. He gazed at her with a raised eyebrow.

"What an unusual name," he remarked with a scowl on his face.

She only shrugged her shoulders. Even she didn't know why Tony named her like that. He never gave her any explanation about it. "You said your name is 'Loki'. You mean 'Loki' from the Norse Mythology?" she pondered.

"What do you mean by Mythology? I'm not a myth. I am very much real, as you can see," He bragged while scowling at her.

"So, then Thor is real? The God of Thunder?" She asked and Loki stiffened at the name. "Oh, aren't you guys enemy? I read it in a book. He was quite the hero on Earth."

"I have heard about that book that pertains the myths you, mortals, claim about me, Thor and the other gods but no, we're not enemies. He's my brother," He informed her and her eyes widened. In what she had read, Thor wasn't any related to the God of Mischief.

"Really? Oh wow, books tend to give false information sometimes," she muttered then grinned."So, it's not true that you turned yourself into a mare and mated with a horse?" she asked, trying to act innocent but then failed at the flabbergasted look he gave her and laughed out loud.

"What are you, mortals, reading?" He exclaimed really horrified at the idea. "Of course, I did not!" he growled as he glared at her.

She stopped laughing; gave him a cheeky smile and gazed back at the flower. "Can I keep it?" she asked referring to the object he gave her.

"Do as you please," He muttered, rolling his eyes and stared back outside the cave. The rain stopped a while ago. She gazed back at him and couldn't help but notice his eyes. It was a beautiful hue of green but somehow she felt like it held a lot of sadness and stories in it.

"If you're a god," she began making him look at her. "How come your eyes look so lonely?" She saw him tensed at the question. "Shouldn't you guys have everything?"

"It is none of your business, mortal," He growled at her and stood up, looking anywhere but her. He then started walking to the mouth of the cave. "I have to go."

"What? You're leaving me here?" she asked panicking slightly. She stood up slowly and tried to follow him but her muscle was still weak and her knees buckled. Before she could fall down, he was already beside her and clutched her arm and waist to keep her steady. She gasped at the sudden contact of his skin on hers. It was cold. She looked up and green hues met her gray ones. She was paralyzed at it. How can a man be this beautiful? No, he's not a man. He's a god, and a god's face was inches away from hers. It suddenly made her nervous and breathed heavily.

"Don't leave," She begged softly. His face was so close to her that she can feel the cold breath he exhales on her face. Her heart was pounding on her chest as she stared at his eyes void with any emotions.

Loki shook his head and allowed her to settle back down. "I need to do something that's why I came here. If it weren't for you, I would have done my business quickly and go back to my realm. I've only waited for you to wake up before I can leave," He said rather harshly, or probably the only way he speaks, and arranged his clothing. "If you are worried, I will put up an enchantment on this cave, so no harm can befall on you until the sun rises. That is all I can give you," He said and stared down at her.

"You're not staying here on Earth?" Funny how she was laughing at him a while ago about what he was revealing to her, now she was casually talking to him as if Earth and the realm he was talking about was just another country next to each other.

"No," He replied. "I am the king of Asgard. As the king, I am obligated to return back to my realm."

She nodded her head slowly. "Thank you for healing my wounds," she muttered staring down at her lap, "and for my beautiful flower."

Silence descended upon the two of them before she heard his feet moving away and to the mouth of the cave. She remained her gaze at her lap but she saw from her peripheral view that he stopped but did not turn around. "Be careful next time," and with that, he vanished from sight. She suddenly felt cold despite the bonfire near her. She eyed the relic again and relished its beauty.

She chuckled to herself again. It was quite a day for her. She fell down a cliff, got bitten by a snake and then met a god. It was so unreal and unbelievable. She believed that everything has a scientific explanation. She did not believe in mythical creatures, mythical beings, and magic. But the evidence was on her palm. She shook her head and began looking for her bag and saw them on her side. She opened it and safely put the relic inside before she pulled out her jacket and phone to contact her father. Evidently, her friends had already informed about her. She put her jacket on and waited for her phone to reboot. After the reboot, she quickly scanned her phone and received many worried text messages from Tony and Pepper and some from her friends.

She quickly dialed her father's number and after the first ring, he picked it up.

' _Clio Isabella Stark!'_ comes her father's worried and angry response. She groaned. ' _Where the hell are you? Wait, no. Don't answer. I'm coming to pick you up. Jarvis! Track her location right now!'_

"Dad! Calm down, I'm fine." She quickly responded by trying to calm Tony down. One thing she knew about her father is that he'll tear the world apart just to get to her and keep her safe.

" _Fine? You were MIA for 6 hours!"_ Tony shouted through the phone. Anger was evident from his voice and Clio bit her lips. _"The moment you were gone your friends contacted me. Happy and the others are already in the area to find you!"_

"Daddy," she muttered and sighed. "I'm sorry, daddy. I fell off a ledge and was unconscious. I just woke up and ended up in a cave."

" _You fell off the—son of a bitch."_ He cursed and something crashed from the other line and Clio leaned away and cringed. She never heard him this mad and frustrated and somehow it scares her a bit.

' _Tony!'_ Pepper reprimanding tone was heard from the other line. _'Be careful and calm down! Jarvis got her location. Let's go.'_

She sighed heavily as her father picked up something. " _Don't worry, Nemo. Daddy is coming."_ Tony said after several seconds of him calming down. He must have been so worried and frustrated and she suddenly felt guilty.

"I know you are," She muttered softly. "Love you, Dad."

" _Love you, too Nemo,"_ he replied before hanging up. She stayed where she was and waited for the rescue. She couldn't help but think of the man who saved and healed her. She only just met him but somehow she missed his company already. A hue of green eyes will probably stay in her mind for quite a long time.

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 **Author's Note: I just posted Chapter 1 a while ago and now here comes Chapter 2. I couldn't wait to put it so here it is. I'll be posting another chapter tomorrow or the next day but please do put what you have in mind or what you think of it so far. I might not continue it, anyway if it's not that good. See you!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel franchise. I only own my own characters.**

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 **Chapter 3:**

 **Stark Tower**

 **~2 years later~**

Clio was sitting on her desk and reviewing the report her coworkers submitted when her phone rang. It was Pepper. She smiled softly and picked up the phone.

"Hey, Pepper." She greeted at her father's former secretary now the CEO of his company and his girlfriend. She was always close to Pepper and treated her more like a mother. "What's up?"

"Hi, sweetie," Pepper greeted back to her softly. "Are you busy, right now?" she asked.

"Uh, not really. Why? Did something happen to dad again?" She asked which made Pepper chuckle.

"You know, every time I call you, you always ask that," Pepper said, chuckling softly. Clio grinned and shook her head. "Do you have a spare time for me? We could eat lunch together." She offered.

Clio thought about it for a moment and looked at her schedules. "Yeah, sure. Where will I meet you? Is dad going to be with you?" she asked, tapping the pen she was holding on her desk.

"No, no. It's just going to be me and you." She answered then told her the location of the restaurant. Clio looked at the clock on her wall and pressed a button on her desk indicating for her secretary to come inside.

"Okay, cool. I'll be there in like an hour. See you, Pep." She said and hung up. There was a knock on her door before the twisting of the knob.

"You wish to see me, Dr. Stark?" her secretary greeted, poking her head on the door. She motioned for her to come in.

"I'll be going out for a while; I need you to arrange these papers over here." She informed while gathering her things.

"Certainly, Dr. Stark," her secretary said. "Have a safe trip."

Clio only nodded. "I'll leave things to you." And with that, she walked out of her office to greet Pepper.

 **~0~**

"How's the new head of the Research and Development department?" Clio chuckled. She only got recently promoted after her superior resigned from his position and passed on to her the obligation of being the head of their department. It was surprising to her because she was just in the job for a year yet she was already being promoted. She even accused her father of pulling strings to which he denied very offended.

"I'm fine, I guess?" She answered and took a bite of her meal. "I'm still trying to get used to it. You know leading is not my style. I'm fine with working hands-on in the laboratory but with paper works and meetings? Ugh, a pain in the ass," She complained and rolled her eyes. Pepper chuckled at her answer.

"You really are your father's daughter." She commented. "You'll get used to it, eventually."

"Not to mention some of my coworkers still thinks I'm not capable of handling things since I'm so young for this job." She pouted as she took another bite. Pepper sighed and held her hand, squeezing it gently.

"Honey, don't even let them get to you." She said. "Prove them wrong." Clio only smiled at the older woman in front of her. Pepper's gaze went down to her neck. "You know, you never mentioned where you got that necklace." Pepper commented before taking a sip of her drink. Clio unconsciously touched the necklace. "It's very beautiful. What kind of flower is it?" Pepper was talking about the same relic Loki gave her at the cave.

After her rescue a year ago, she went to her favorite jewelry shop and asked if they can make it into a necklace. They put it in a silver chain which complemented the flower really well. She wore that necklace every day at her office only taking it off when inside the laboratory.

"I actually don't know what kind of flower this is." She replied then chuckled. "Someone gave this to me a year ago." Pepper's eyes widened.

"Oh my, is it from a guy?" She asked, grinning from ear to ear in a teasing manner. Clio gave a hearty laugh.

"Yes, it's from a guy but it's not what you think, Pep." She defended, a blush creeping on her cheeks.

"Not what I think? A guy gave you a necklace!" Pepper exclaimed pointing at it.

"Pep, guys give me gifts all the time." She said and grinned at the woman in front of her.

"But this is the only gift you manage to wear every day. This guy must be special." She teased making Clio's blush even have deeper shades.

"You could say that," she admitted and took a sip from her drinks. "It came from the man who saved me." She heard Pepper gasped.

"Save you from what?" She asked. "Clio, darling, have you been getting into trouble lately?" There it is, Mother Pepper. Clio grinned.

"Of course not," She replied and shook her head. "Remember the time when I fell off a cliff a year ago? A man carried me to a cave and built me a bonfire to keep me from getting hypothermia." This was the first time she ever mentioned Loki to anyone. But she did not elaborate further because no one would ever believe her even if it's Pepper.

"And he gave you that? Did you see him again?" she asked getting a little excited and Clio stared at her plate before shaking her head.

"Well, that's too bad," Pepper said with a sighed. She then started a conversation about how Tony kept acting like a child and she barely heeds attention to what she was saying at the moment. The truth is, she did get to see him one time. It was the day before they return home.

 _After convincing her father that she was okay, he left her and her friends at the hotel, promising that she'll be back home tomorrow in Malibu._

 _She was sitting alone on the windowsill of her hotel room, reading a book. Her friends decided they want to explore the area and buy souvenirs before going back home. They asked her to come but she politely declined. She was in no mood to go out anyway. Her thoughts kept wandering over to the god she met last night. She remembered clearly how cold his hands were when he grabbed her arm. How badly she wanted to see him again, if only for a minute._

 _She sighed and put the book down. Reading was not helping her at the moment. It was already afternoon as she watched the people passing by from her window. She had been sitting there since morning; she did not get to eat lunch for she was not feeling hungry at the moment. She suddenly wondered if she should have just gone home with Tony. But she shook her head. Their vacation was already cut short because of her and she felt guilty for ruining it so she stayed._

 _She sighed again for the nth time already; she did not know what was bothering her. Was it because of the incident? Or the need to see Loki again? She did not know._

 _She was about to get back to her bed when she stopped. At the far end corner of the street, something caught her eyes. Her eyes widened and her heart pounded rapidly in her chest. She quickly put on her shoes before running down and outside of the hotel to where she saw him standing there, watching her. The people passing by gave a surprised yelp when she passed by, shoving them slightly out of the way but muttering her apologies. She swore she saw him standing there._

 _But once she got to the place, there were no signs of him. She looked around the area and felt her hope deflating each passing moment. Did she just imagine it? Did her mind play tricks on her for thinking too much of him? She wasn't able to sleep last night and fatigue must be catching up to her. Besides, why would Loki be here anyway? He made it already clear that he would not come back._

 _Her heart sank at the thought and shivered slightly. In the midst of running, she had forgotten to put on a sweater or a coat and she was only wearing a thin navy shirt._

 _Sighing in defeat, she walked back to the direction of the hotel when someone grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to an alley. She would have screamed if it wasn't for the hand that quickly covered her mouth._

" _Looking for someone?" a familiar voice asked. She stopped struggling and stared wide-eyed at her captor. The familiar green hues stared down at her in an amusing manner._

" _Loki," she muttered; she then smiled genuinely, she was very happy to see him. Loki grinned in satisfaction at her reaction before pulling her to the other side of the alley._

" _Come," he commanded, not releasing her wrist._

" _Where are we going?" she asked, trying to catch up with his long strides._

 _He didn't answer but pulled her to where there were no people in sight and turned to her. He grabbed her by the waist and smirked. Clio blushed a deep shade of red at the sudden closeness of their body._

" _Hold tight," He commanded before he flicked his wrist._

 _The world was suddenly in a swirl and Clio grabbed him by his collar as she suddenly felt dizzy. A few seconds later, Clio felt her feet touched a steady ground. She slowly looked around and saw the ledge she was standing on yesterday before she fell._

 _Feeling a rushed of panic shot through her system, she squeaked and buried her face on the man's chest as she heaved a sigh. She and any kind of cliff would never end pretty well, she already knew it._

" _Are all mortals always clung to each other as if they're going to die?" he asked in an annoyed manner. Clio looked up at him and glared before pulling away from him._

 _Her gaze went to the view in front of them, "Why'd you bring me here?" She asked trying not to look down._

 _Loki did not answer and thus sat down at the edge of the cliff._

 _"What are you crazy? The foundation is not stable, get back here," She blurted in a panic._

 _Loki raised an eyebrow at her as if what she said was stupid and she could feel another blush crept on her face. Of course, he was a god. That was stupid of her._

 _As if losing his patience, he caught her by the arm and pulled her down next to him, earning a yelp from her._

" _Oh, gods! What are you doing?" She yelled at him as she closed her eyes._

" _You are afraid of heights," He commented._

 _Clio shook her head to disagree, "No, I'm just afraid of falling, again." She muttered._

 _He was still holding her arm to steady her, "Fear not, woman, as I have no intention to let you fall again." He said. He grabbed her chin and made her look up. "Your eyes are quite rare, I must say. They are weird shades of grey; a very striking color. It never quite left my thought."_

" _My eye color?" she asked stupidly. Unsure of what was transpiring at the moment but all she knew is that her heart was beating frantically as she gazed back at his green hues._

" _You," He muttered and gazed at her lips. She involuntarily bit her lower lip. "You asked me why my eyes are lonely."_

 _She took a deep breath before pulling her face away from his fingers, "I did. Why did it look lonely?" she asked._

 _Silence transpired between them as if the god was contemplating on what he would say next._

" _Have you ever been lied to?" he started._

 _Clio stared at him trying to understand his point._

" _Everyone gets lied to," She answered as she stared at her hands. "It's already in our nature to lie. Why?"_

 _Loki shook his head, "I guess you wouldn't understand what I'm saying. You're a mortal and your lives are feeble. It could snap any moment," He commented as he gazed at the horizon. The sun was already preparing to set. It was a time like this that Clio fell off the cliff yesterday.  
_

 _Clio sighed and shook her head, "I don't know what you're trying to say but I was nothing before," She started making Loki looked at her. "I was left behind when I was a baby on a cold December afternoon; left to die. It was at that moment that I felt I was unloved. My parents must have never wanted me. I was a mistake that they couldn't wait to get rid of," She stared at the horizon in front of her before sighing and looking back at him. She saw he was also looking far away; like he too was in deep thought._

" _Then an incredible man came to view. He adopted and loved me like his own daughter. I couldn't be more thankful," She grinned at the thought of Tony._

 _He finally looked at her; his face was void of any emotion. "Maybe our lives are feeble and short compared to yours but that's what makes it so damn beautiful. It makes me want to treasure every moment, every memory I have with this life of mine."_

 _"Your optimism in life is admirable," Loki commented, "But unlike you, I had to deal with it in a wrong way."_

" _Is that what you want to view life?" She asked._

" _That's how I view life," He said and narrowed his eyes. "We are very much the same and very much different, you see. At the least, from the very start, you knew you were adopted and come to live the rest of your life knowing who you really are. Whilst I've been lied to about my parentage, about what I truly am," He lamented and clenched his fist._

 _Clio touched his tensed hand softly making it relax for a little bit, "Does it matter who you are and who your true parents? I mean, it occurred to me while growing up but I realized that I'd much rather did not know anything about it. It matters who are there for you until now," she commented._

" _Easy for you to say," Loki chastised earning a glare from her. "We should get you back. It's getting late," He informed as he stood up. Clio felt her heart sank. She didn't it to end yet. He helped her steady her feet as she stood up also._

" _I thought you said you'll never return?" she asked. Loki smirked at her._

" _This time, I won't. So this will be my last farewell to you," He said and Clio couldn't help but be saddened at that._

 _He grabbed her by the waist to transport them back into the hotel. Thankfully, her friends were still out when they appeared inside their hotel room._

" _Hey, how long have you been standing outside the hotel, by the way?" She asked suddenly when he pulled away from her._

 _Loki glanced away from her and walked over to the window she was sitting a while ago, "Does it matter?" he grumbled._

 _Clio scowled at him, "It does," she replied stubbornly._

 _He sighed, "Ever since you started reading this book," he said finally and picked up the book she left._

 _Her mouth gaped open, "Since morning? What are you? A creep?" she exclaimed._

 _Loki glared at her, a tinge of red on his pale cheeks, "I am not a creep!"_

" _Why didn't you just approach me?" She asked still bewildered by his confession._

" _I was not planning on it, woman!" he barked at her, the red tinge still visible._

 _They stared at each other for a moment before she chuckled. Loki stared at her in annoyance, "What seems to be laughable at this moment, mortal?"  
_

 _"You look cute when you blush," she confessed and her chuckle formed into a full-blown laugh.  
_

" _Cute?! You think me cute?! A god?!" he bellowed and glared at her. Sighing, he waited for her to finish her laughter. "Are you done laughing at my own expense?"_

 _She grinned at him and sighed, "Sorry."_

 _They turned towards the door when shuffling and laughter was heard behind it. Loki looked back at her and sighed._

" _So, this is it," he said and Clio could only nod her head in response. Loki noticed it and smirked, "I didn't know chatting with a mortal like you would be… quite nice."_

" _When will you call me by my name?" she asked; annoyance present in her voice; he only smiled and bowed slightly._

" _I bid you farewell, my lady," He said. As he raised his hand, green aura emitted from it. Before Clio could blink, he was gone. Once again she felt cold at his absence._

"Hello? Earth to Clio?" Pepper snapped her fingers in front of her face making Clio jerked back in surprise. "You were gone for some time now," She teased.

Clio shook her head, "Sorry about, Pep. I was thinking about work," She replied lamely; cringing a little at her lame lie whether Pepper noticed it or not, she did not show it. "Anyway, how's Stark tower?" Clio asked, changing the subject.

Pepper's eyes lit up at the mention of her and her father's latest project. "Oh, sweetie! It's a beauty. We're going to open it officially the day after tomorrow; your father wanted you to come. Did he talk to you about it?" She asked.

"He called last night about it and I would really like to go," She said as she played with her fork. She sighed, "But I have to attend an important seminar the next morning in Germany."

Pepper frowned, clearly disappointed, "That's too bad. Can't you cancel it?" she asked and Clio shook her head.

"I wish I could but as the guest speaker there's nothing really I can do about it," She said making the woman in front of her sighed.

"Why don't you just drop by, then?" she asked and Clio thought for a moment. "We'll eat dinner and I'll let Happy take you to the airport."

"I'll try, I guess?" she finally answered, making Pepper beam.

"I'll arrange for dinner, then," Pepper said and the two of them started making plans for that day.

 **~0~**

Stark Tower was a beauty when it was lit up. It took her breath the moment Pepper light it up. It stood like a giant Christmas tree in New York. The word STARK lights the brightest of all the lights in the tower. Her father beamed at the idea of their name being seen in every corner of New York to which she replied with him having a big ego.

The three of them were sitting in the dining area eating dinner at the moment. Pepper rolled her eyes but then laughed at her father's joke and her father grinned proudly at himself before winking at her. She shook her head but grinned back as well. It was moments like this that made Clio want to stay home more but her love for her work made it impossible to do so.

"I'm glad you could join us tonight, Little Owl," Tony commented and smiled at her lovingly. "For a moment, I thought I would have to haul you back to join us, isn't that right, Pep?" Clio rolled her eyes at his remark. "Come on, you've been busy these past few months. I rarely get to see my daughter, anymore."

"Oh, Daddy, you know I'm still adjusting for my new position. It's not that easy," She commented then smiled apologetically at him.

"Sir," Jarvis, the AI her father created, called out. "Agent Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D is on the line."

"I'm not in," Tony quickly replied before drinking his wine, "I'm actually out."

Clio scowled. "Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D?" she asked him. It's the first she's heard that name.

"It's an organization that your father is working with," Pepper answered and Tony frowned. She raised an eyebrow at her father in question.

"I'm not 'working' with them, I'm just their consultant," He complained, glaring at Pepper who basically ignored him.

"So, what does this organization do?" She asked again. But before anyone could answer, Jarvis spoke again.

"Sir, I'm afraid he's insisting."

"Tony, it might be important," Pepper said as she put the dishes to the sink. Clio stood up and helped clean up, as well.

"It's date night, Pep," Tony complained as he moved to kiss Clio on the forehead and Pepper on the cheek. "Can't I just have a peaceful night with my two girls? We're celebrating here, come on. I need a break, after lifting everything and building this tower?" They followed Tony to sit in their lounge.

"You do know I have a plane to catch in two hours, right?" She informed Tony to which he rolled his eyes at.

"I swear my attitude towards work is rubbing off to you," He teased pulling Pepper closer to his side to snuggle.

"Get a room, guys," Clio complained, wrinkling her nose.

"Oh, we will, later," Tony said and winked at her. Clio chuckled at Pepper's face who was now blushing.

"Sir, the telephone, I'm afraid my protocol is being overwritten," Tony groaned and grabbed his phone.

" _Stark, we need to talk,"_ Said the man on the line.

Tony faced his phone and sighed. "You have reached the life model decoy of Tony Stark, just leave a message."

Both she and Pepper chuckled at his quirkiness. She was curious about this organization Tony was working with. Who names their organization S.H.I.E.L.D anyway?

" _This is urgent,"_ insisted the man on the phone.

"Then, leave it urgent," Tony said but then the elevator opened and came out a man in a suit holding a phone to his ear. "Security breached," Tony said in bewilderment then looked at Pepper. "This one's on you," He accused.

Pepper ignored her lover and stood up to greet the man who just arrived, "Phil, come in."

"Phil?" Tony asked more to himself; confusion written on his face before standing up to follow Pepper. "Uh, his first name is Agent."

Clio watched her father and stood up as well when Pepper called out to her.

"Phil, this is Clio Stark, Tony's daughter. Clio, this Agent Phil Coulson," She introduced. The man extended his hand to her to which she accepted.

"Miss Stark, I have heard a lot about you," He complimented with a smile, making Clio's eyebrow rose. "Congratulations on being promoted."

"Uh, thank you, Agent Coulson," She replied hesitantly and turned back to her father who mouthed the word 'Agent' as if that's enough explanation on how he knew about her promotion. "Uh, you know what guys, I think I better get going now before I get late for my flight," She finally said.

It must be something serious and she didn't want to meddle with anything her father was working on with these agents.

"I promised that I'll drive you to the airport," He said, clearly trying to avoid the agent.

"No, you didn't," she said and smiled sweetly when he glared at her. She moved to Pepper and hugged her before moving to Tony to give him a hug and a kiss. "I'll call when my plane landed," She promised Tony before turning to grab her things.

She smiled at the agent, "Nice meeting you, Agent Coulson," shaking his hand once again before moving to the elevator.

"As to you, Miss Stark," He said with a soft smile before waving at her. Before the elevator door close, she saw the man then turned back to her father, "We need you to look this over."

* * *

 **Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading and for those who have followed and put it on their favorite list! I hope you enjoyed this one!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Marvel Franchise. I only own my own characters.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4:**

 **Reunited**

"Splendid speech, my dear!" Her former supervisor and mentor complimented once she got off the stage, "I really did make a good decision giving you the position."

Clio smiled broadly at him,"Thank you, Dr. Harrison," She said simply.

She was currently in Germany and had just given her speech for the Biology Convention. She gave a brief speech about her knowledge of molecular microbiology and physics, and the goal and progressed of her team's effort in relation to life and society.

"It was very overwhelming, really," She admitted with an unsure grin to which the old man laugh.

He guided her to one of the directors of this science convention. "Dr. Stark I would like you to meet Dr. Heinrich Schafer. He's one of the best nuclear scientists here," Dr. Harrison said, giving the man a squeeze on his shoulder. "My dear friend, this is Dr. Clio Isabella Stark, the one I've been talking to you about. She is also the daughter of Tony Stark."

The man gave her a broad grin at the mention of her name, "It's a pleasure to finally meet the prodigy of Tony Stark." He complimented kindly. He extended his hand to which she accepted and gave him a small smile.

She didn't like being called 'Tony's Prodigy', 'Daughter of Stark' or 'Heiress of the Stark Industry'. It felt like she was only where she was now because of her father and not from the hard work she paid off.

"The pleasure's all mine, Dr. Schafer. Your work on the Iridium is very much splendid," She complimented to which the old man laughed.

"Yes, indeed. It's one of my finest works," He then proceeded to tell her all about the Iridium to which she listened and commented when needed to politely.

She really meant it when she said it was a splendid work. Iridium was one of the rarest elements in the world which are found in meteorites. It has the ability to form into an anti-proton.

"How about you, my dear? What project are you up to?" he asked.

Clio smiled at him, "My team is currently undergoing research for unknown bacteria that cannot die under any extreme conditions much like a Bio-indefinite. It has the same structure as eukaryote species and has the ability to stay dormant and at the same time when provoked, active."

"Does it cause disease?" He asked; clearly interested.

Clio grinned at him, "Last week, 0.5 um of it was injected intravenously to the rat's tail, "She said pausing.

The two doctors raised their eyebrow at her, "The rat started convulsing in its cage for five minutes before we check its blood. The bacteria, instead of infecting or killing other cells, it coated every WBC and so does the other cell inside the body that helped in defense like Macrophages and the Helper T cells. My colleague suggested injecting a virus into the rat to see if those cells can still be able to protect the rat's body. Nothing changed. The rat never got sick. We tried different virus, bacteria even systemic fungal infections but nothing happened."

The two doctors' eyes widened at her research, "So you're saying that this microorganism that you discovered could become a vaccination to every disease known to mankind if diluted?"

"That's the thing," Clio frowned, frustration written on her face. "It needed to fight something. It's very brutal. Once there was nothing to fight off, it started fighting its own; fighting the body's immunity. Three days later, the rat died. Now, I'm in the middle of studying its DNA structures and molecules and if we can dilute it, then yes it might become a vaccination to every disease."

"I would love to hear more of your research, Dr. Stark. If you can stable this microorganism, it can be beneficial to mankind," Dr. Schafer complimented and Dr. Harrison nodded in agreement.

"I told you, she's one of a kind," The old man proudly said to his friend as he grinned at her.

"I would like to invite you to the gala later this evening, Dr. Stark," Dr. Schafer said and extended again his hand for her to agree.

Clio thought about it for a moment. She promised her father that she'll be back home tomorrow morning so they can both go back to Malibu but the hopeful look on the face of her former supervisor made her want to say yes and so she did. She then smiled at the man again and grabbed his hand to shake. "I'll be there," she promised.

 **~0~**

Soft music played in the background as she wandered around the party. Everyone was busy chatting with each other except for her. Dr. Harrison left her to greet another of his colleagues. After a brief introduction, she excused herself.

Dr. Schafer was also busy greeting the other guest but did have a brief chat with her upon arriving. He complimented her outfit which consists of an evening silver dress that reached her ankles with thin straps and a low back that reached only just the middle of her back. Her jet black hair was put up in a messy bun with little hair falling down to frame her face. She only wore minimal makeup but that didn't stop her from getting noticed by a crowd of men trying to get to talk to her and offering her drinks which she declined politely.

She sighed and started thinking that her coming to the party was a bad idea. She was at the corner drinking wine when Dr. Schafer went up the small stage to give his speech. Not understanding half of the speech, her mind wandered to her father to whom she tried calling a while ago but was out of reach. It was rare that her father never answered her calls; very rare and very suspicious.

Her eyes gazed back at the stage when she heard the commotion. She was at the far side of the crowd and couldn't see clearly what was happening. She tried to walk forward, trying to figure out what was going on. The crowd started to back away and that's when she saw Dr. Schafer being dragged by an unknown man towards one of the statues in the middle and flips him on his back. Gasped were heard when the man pulled a device from his coat that made a whirring sound.

Scream flooded the hall when the man plunged down the device on Dr. Schafer's right eye. Everyone tried to run to the exit except for Clio who now was facing the man behind all this commotion. She should be running too but something had caught her eye. Her eyes widened and her hand automatically reached out to her neck grabbing her necklace as she watched the same man who has given her the necklace smile in wicked satisfaction while he plunged the device deeper into Dr. Schafer's face. The said doctor was not moving anymore and she assumed was already dead.

"Loki?" A gasp left her lips when green eyes met her grey ones. His eyes widened just a fraction at the sight of her and before she could react, she was being pulled by Dr. Harrison, telling her to run.

All she could do was let Dr. Harrison pull her towards the exit. She looked back to see the Loki staring at her as he pulled the device from Dr. Schafer's face; his face void with emotions and eyes cold as an ice.

She faced up ahead and ran towards the stairs and down the street. Dr. Harrison was old and was already out of breath.

"Try to keep up, Doc," She persuaded, urging the older man to quicken his pace.

For a moment she felt pity at the man. It was his health condition that made him resign and now it was catching up to him.

She tried to get past the crowd who was gathering at the center of the plaza. She held her former supervisor's arm as she pushed and pushed to get to the other side of the plaza. She can't see what was happening and why the people were stopping.

"Kneel before me," she heard Loki command. She turned to see him now clad in a suit of green and gold armor. A horned helmet was adorned to his head and on his hand held a scepter of gold with a blue element in it. This is wrong, this is not Loki.

"Clio, we can't get past the crowd. Someone's in front and making them move back," Dr. Harrison told her. She then saw another Loki to the side of the crowd trying to gather them up in the middle.

They were both stuck in the middle and she tried to reach her phone to try to call her father as the crowd presses against them.

"I said, KNEEL!" He yelled making everyone kneel out of fear. Clio stared in disbelief at the god in front of them. She and Dr. Harrison soon followed the crowd to kneel.

She saw Loki grinned in satisfaction. "Is not this simpler? Is not this your natural state?" he started, with each word passed through his lips were insults to humanity that Clio found herself cringing.

She tried to call her father again as the god in front of them was busy talking. But instead of her father picking up, it was Jarvis. "Miss Clio, Mr. Stark wants to inform you that he is on his way now to your location," He informed before she could ask where he was, "Please stay calm."

"Thank you, Jarvis. Please tell him to hurry," She muttered through her phone before hanging up.

She was then startled when Dr. Harrison stood up, "Not to a man like you," he said defiantly. She turned to see Loki glaring at her former supervisor.

"There are no men like me," Loki answered confidently.

She stood up as well making Loki glare at her. Unsure of what was happening, she clutched the doctor's arm trying to let him know that this was a bad idea.

"There are always men like you," Dr. Harrison said and looked back at Loki square in the eyes.

Loki grinned before raising his scepter, "Look to your elder people," he pointed it towards the doctor. Clio's eyes widened, "Let him be an example."

"No!" she screamed and put herself in front of the doctor as Loki fired the shot. Before she closed her eyes, she swore she saw the haunted look that crossed the god's face.

She waited for it but no pain befalls to hers as she felt strong arms on her shoulder making her duck. The sound of like a gun hitting a metal was heard. She looked up and saw a man clad in a blue and red suit with a helmet and a shield. She quickly realized it was Captain America. She had heard a lot about him from the news and right now she couldn't even tell how thankful she was to him for saving her.

"Are you okay, Ma'am?" he asked gently.

She only nodded her head in response; still in shock of what just transpired before he turned back to face Loki.

"You know, the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everybody else we ended up disagreeing." He said as he walked towards Loki who was standing up and glaring at the captain. It seemed that the shot that was fired bounced off when it hit the captain's shield and hit Loki back.

"This soldier, a man out of time," Loki said as he braced himself with his scepter.

She turned her head up when she heard an aircraft.

"Loki, drop the weapon and stand down," a familiar voice called through the aircraft.

The said man raised his scepter and aimed towards the aircraft to which it avoided it expertly.

Everyone scrambled to his or her feet and run. She helped the doctor up to his feet and they both run away from the fight.

"Doc, let's go," She urged him and helped him get to safety as the fight between Loki and Captain America transpired.

At a distance, she saw a cab passing to them and she waved her arms frantically to stop it. Fortunately, the cab pulled over next to them. She let the doctor in and told the driver to get him to a hospital.

"What about you, dear?" He asked; concern written on his face.

She didn't know what to do next but all she wanted was to talk to Loki. This was not the same God who saved her. This was someone else.

"My father would be arriving any minutes to the scene, Doc," She reassured him.

He sighed and patted her hand that was resting on the cab's window, "Don't get yourself into much trouble, dear."

She only nodded and stepped back to let the cab sprint away with the doctor.

Heaving a sigh, she sprinted back towards the plaza hoping that Loki was still there. The aircraft blared music throughout the plaza and she knew it was him. He was here. Her feet stopped by a hot dog stand and watch as Iron Man showed up from the sky and blast Loki out of his feet, making him drop his scepter.

Iron Man then aimed again to the threat in front of him, "Make a move, Reindeer Games," Iron Man threatened.

Loki slowly raised his hand in defeat and transformed his appearance into simpler clothing.

"Good move," Iron Man said before dropping his hands to his side.

The aircraft float even closer to the ground.

She ran towards them carefully, "Dad!" The three turned their heads to her.

Loki tensed at the sight of her but she ignored it and went to her father but before she could reach him, a force pulled her to Loki who grabbed her by the waist.

Instantly, her father and the Captain readied their stance, "Let my daughter go, you son of a bitch," Her father growled.

Loki laughed sadistically as he pulled her closer to him and leaned to her ears. "Tell them to back down," he whispered in her ear making the hair at the back of her neck stand up.

She gulped and stared back at the two men in front of them, "Dad, I'll be fine," she reassured but her voice betrayed her.

Tony moved forward and before he could reach them, they swirled out of sight.

Loki teleported them to a rocky cliff, the moment her feet touched a solid ground, she pushed Loki off her and slapped him on the face. The man didn't even flinched at the contact and just laughed maliciously at her poor attempt of hurting him.

"Did you miss me?" He asked while grinning at her. She glared at him as he took a step forward to hers.

"You killed Dr. Schafer," she accused as she took a step back, trying to get away from him. He smirked at her silly actions. "What was that all about?"

"A small price for something big that is to come, my dear," He said and took another step towards her which she automatically took a step back. He rolled his eyes before grabbing her arm and pulling her to him. "I can see the anger in your eyes. Do you despise me now, love?" He said with a grin.

She gritted her teeth at him and he laughed again with no humor. She scowled at him and tried to wiggle her arm free from his grip but he only tightened it, making her wince slightly. "That's right. Despise me, hate me. Do you want to hurt me so bad?" he growled as he glared at her.

Clio didn't answer him as she tried to calm herself down. He was trying to get under her skin and she wouldn't let him have his satisfaction. Silence descended upon the two of them as they glared at each other. She released a deep breath.

"What happened to you?" she asked and searched his face.

He seemed quite taken aback by her response and let go of her quickly, "I have finally come to accept the truth, that's what happened to me," He growled as he glared at her, "You mortals were meant to be ruled over by someone like me. Give your feeble life up to me and I will spare you."

"My father will stop you. And if not my father, then the man you fought a while ago will. So I suggest you stop now," She said through gritted teeth, trying not to shiver when a cold breeze past them. She had forgotten she was only wearing an evening dress that showed a lot of her arms, shoulders and her back.

"I will not stop until every single one of you finally accepts where you reside in this hierarchy. I will be king!" Loki yelled at her.

"There is no throne here!" She yelled back, "This is not how this world works, Loki! More forces will try to stop you!"

"Then I shall see them to their death," He declared coldly.

She flinched slightly at the thought of him murdering thousands. She had witnessed what he had done to Dr. Schafer and knew that he will not hesitate to kill others if it means getting what he wants.

Chest heaving up and down as she stared at the cold dead eyes of the god, "Kill me then," She said after a minute passed by.

He glared at her and with a quick motion; he was in front of her. Cold hand wrapped around her neck softly. Her heart was pounding in her chest when he slowly tightened his grip but not tight enough to cut off her airway.

"You should be careful what you say in front of a god. I might as well kill you," He hissed.

Tears welled up her eyes but she never faltered her glare at him, "Then do it," she hissed under her breath.

For a while, the hand on her neck started tightening and she closed her eyes but then he loosened it. She opened her eyes to see him staring at her. Hesitation visible in his eyes but vanished when a thunderstruck the sky.

Before she could react, Loki pushed her off the cliff. Her eyes widened as she stumbled back and plummet to the ground. She was falling again and this time no one can save her. She would fall to her death. Her heartache at the thought of the man, who saved her in the past from dying due to the fall she endured, now was responsible for her falling to her death. She closed her eyes and braced for the impact.

Air rushed past her lips when she was caught by something hard. She opened her eyes and saw her father in his suit.

"Are you okay, Little Owl?" he asked and that's when she burst out crying.

She buried her face on his metal neck. "There, there, cheesecake. Daddy's got you," He whispered as they landed on a safer ground. He opened his mask and patted her back while she clings to his neck, sobbing. "What is it with you and cliffs, Little Owl?" He joked lightly but she could visibly see how shaken he was. If he didn't arrive on time, he would have surely been standing next to her dead body. The thought surged anger through his system.

"How'd you find me?" She asked as she wiped her tear-stained face.

"Remember the time when you fall off a cliff and we couldn't find you?" He asked. She nodded her head as he raised her wrist that was adorned with a silver bracelet. "I created a device that will make Jarvis track wherever you are."

She turned her wrist to looked at the bracelet her father had given her a week after the incident. She never gave much thought to it since he always gave her gifts.

He stood up and faced the unknown man that was now talking to Loki.

"It's time to make Rock-of-Ages pay. I'll be back, Little Owl," he promised then took off; blasting straight to the man wearing a cape and hurling him into the forest floor.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading! I hope you find time in reviewing so I can know what you guys are thinking of!**

 **Black Moons Daughter: Heeey I'm so happy for your review! Thank you so much! I hope this one meets your expectation! Please continue to review and let me know what you think so far or if there is any corrections or suggestions! xx**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Marvel Franchise. I only own my OC's.**

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 **Chapter 5:**

 **Elvenmist**

"I never knew you were a spy," Clio said as she dab ice on the bruises on her arm. Natasha Romanoff smirked at her. Natasha was the former assistant of Pepper when she was elected CEO of Stark Industries. She met the red-haired woman dozens of times whenever Pepper would visit her at work or whenever she would invite her for lunch.

"I'm glad you didn't notice or I would not have been qualified to become one if you did," She said which made Clio chuckle.

"Does Pepper know?" She asked still amaze at the red-haired agent.

Natasha shook her head. They were at the medic cube inside a helicarrier to which was the headquarters of S.H.I.E.L.D., according to her father.

The fight that broke up between Tony Stark and the unknown man, which she had learned, was Thor, the God of thunder and brother of Loki, was stopped by Captain Steve Rogers. Now, there were two gods on the helicarrier. Loki was put in a containment cell that was supposed to be for the green beast which they call The Hulk, while his brother was talking to the director of S.H.I.E.L.D, Nick Fury, about the possible location of the tesseract.

"You were brave back there," Natasha complimented making Clio raised an eyebrow.

"I was not," she denied then groaned. "Now that I've come to think about it, it was pretty stupid of me."

"Brave actions sometimes come from stupid decisions," She said and patted her shoulder softly. She pulled out a paper bag in front of her. "Here, I got you some spare clothes. You must be freezing from what you're wearing or lack of it," She said as she eyed her dress.

"Thanks," She muttered as she opened the bag. It composed of black jeans, a white shirt, a brassiere and a leather jacket. "Are these all yours?"

"You're lucky we have the same height and size," Natasha joked. She stood up and motioned for her to come. "You can change here." She opened a door and Clio stepped inside. It was a storage closet composed of medicines and other medical kits.

She quickly changed her outfit and went out to find Natasha talking to an agent. When she heard the door opening, she dismissed the agent and smiled at her. She and Natasha weren't that close when she started working for Pepper but she felt she could trust her.

"You see? It fitted just right," The red-haired woman complimented. "Nick Fury wanted me to go at the control room and he wanted me to bring you, too."

She scowled, "I thought Coulson is going to take me back to Stark Tower?" she asked as they walked out of the medic room.

"Guess we'll have to find out once we get there," Natasha said as she guided her towards the control room.

When they were inside, Steve Rogers greeted her with a gentle smile which she returned with a smile also. There was Thor standing next to Steve and another man wearing purple button ups who was fidgeting with his glasses. Natasha walked her to them.

"Clio, this is Dr. Bruce Banner, a Biochemist and Nuclear Physicist." Natasha introduced and Clio smiled at the older guy who extended his hand in greetings. "Doc, this is Dr. Clio Stark, Physical and Molecular Chemist, and Molecular Microbiologist."

"It's nice to meet you, Dr. Stark," Bruce greeted with a smile.

"Oh, Clio would be fine, please. Same here, Dr. Banner," she said as she shook the doctor's hand.

"You've seen Steve Rogers before," Natasha continued. The said man shook her hand. "He is known as Captain America."

"Yes, I've heard a lot about you, Captain," she said. "Thank you for saving me back there,"

"I'm glad you're finally okay, Miss," he said and patted her shoulder.

She smiled at him. Tony once talked about him and Howard Stark, how her grandpa dedicated his work on the captain instead of being a father to Tony. What amazed Clio was how Tony proved he would not be like his father.

"And this is Thor, the brother of Loki," She said. The long-haired man bowed slightly. The cape he was wearing a while ago was nowhere to be seen; it must have been the cause of Tony's joke about the man's cape.

"Greetings, Lady Clio," Thor said and Clio cringed at the added name. "I wanted to apologize for my brother's behavior."

"Please just call me Clio," she said and sighed. She was tired and all she wanted to do right now is go to sleep. Just thinking about Loki made her head and heartaches.

"Where is Fury?" Natasha asked as she seated next to the Captain, Clio following suit.

"He is currently interrogating Loki," a black-haired woman, whom she heard was Maria Hill, said as she walked inside the control room.

"He really grows on you, doesn't he? That Loki guy," Banner said as he crossed his arms over his chest. Clio stared at an intercom that showed Loki who was currently talking to Nick Fury.

"Loki is going to drag this out, so," Steve paused then looked at Thor who was staring now at an intercom that shows his brother. "Thor, what's his play?"

"He has an army called the Chitauri; not from Asgard or from other realms known," Thor explained. "He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the Earth."

"But why?" Clio asked. "Isn't Asgard on his rule already as the king?" it was too late when she realized what came out of her mouth. Everyone turned to her. Thor walked forward, confusion present on his godly face.

"He was the king when I was banished to Earth and when our father went to Odinsleep," he informed them and scowled at her. "But may I ask, my lady, how did you know about that?"

Silence enveloped in them as Clio fidgeted her fingers. Even Bruce Banner stopped his fidgeting at the side and turned to stare at her.

She sighed in defeat; there's no point in denying it anyway, "I've met Loki before," she admitted. "He was the one who saved me when I fell off a cliff years ago. I was unconscious and he brought me into a cave to heal my wounds. If it wasn't for him, I would have died," She paused and stared at Thor. "I couldn't believe it at first that it was him I saw last night."

"I've been wondering why he took you but didn't kill you," Steve said as he tapped his fingers on the table.

"He did try," she said and bit her lower lip. "He pushed me off the cliff expecting me to fall to my death." It was even painful saying it out loud but she was also angry so she breathed deeply to calm herself.

"So an army then, from outer space," Steve muttered and looked at Thor who nodded.

"So he's building another portal?" Banner concluded. "That's where he needs Eric Selvig for," he continued.

"Selvig?" Thor asked; surprise on his face.

"He's an astrophysicist," Clio said as she put two and two together. So, the reason why Loki attacked Schafer was to get the Iridium? She knew its stabilizing property was powerful. It can stabilize any reactor if the journal she had read about it was true.

"He's a friend," Thor interjected.

"Loki has him under some kind of spell along with one of our own," Natasha said and sighed. Tony briefed her shortly about an agent called Barton who was a dear friend of Natasha was also under the influence of Loki.

"I wonder why Loki let us take him," Steve said. "He's not leading an army from here."

"I don't think we should be focusing on Loki," Dr. Banner said as he fidgeted on his glasses again. "That guy's brain is a bag full of cats. You can smell crazy on him." Clio couldn't help but smile at the doctor.

Thor took a cautious step forward, "I've cared how you speak. Loki is beyond reason but he's of Asgard and he's my brother," Thor defended.

She and Dr. Banner shared a look; hers with little guilt for laughing whiles with the doctor none was visible.

"He killed 80 people in two days," Natasha interjected making Clio turn to her in surprise. 80 people? Is he been on earth for a few days now?

"He's adopted?" Thor hesitantly offered.

Clio stared at the God of Thunder before focusing at the intercom again. She remembered the last conversation they had before he departed from Earth. He did tell her once about his parentage.

"I think it's about the mechanics. Iridium, what do they need it for?" Banner suggested. Clio opened her mouth but was interrupted by her very own father.

"It's a stabilizing agent," Tony interjected as he walked inside with Coulson. "So, I'm saying if you can fly my daughter home, we can go to the Bahamas with Pepper," he whispered to Coulson to which the latter only nodded and muttering, 'I'll see what I can do,"

"It means the portal won't collapse itself like it did in S.H.I.E.L.D's," he said then gave a pat on Clio's shoulder before walking up front. "Also, the portal can open as wide and stay open as long as Loki wants. The other materials, Agent Barton can get it easily. The only thing now that he needs is a power source; something of a high energy density."

"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?"Clio jibbed in as she raised an eyebrow at her father.

Her father grinned at her, "Last night," he answered and shrugged. Clio scowled at Tony. Is that why he's been ignoring her calls? "It's in Selvig's note. Am I the only one who did the reading?"

"Does Loki need a particular power source?" Steve interjected, ignoring Tony's complaint.

"He'd have to heat the cube to a hundred and twenty million Kelvin," Bruce offered. Tony walked towards the doctor and nodded rather impressed with him already.

"Unless Selvig figured out how to stabilize it," Tony continued.

"Well if he could do that then he could achieve heavy ion fusion and every reactor on the planet," Bruce finished. Tony grinned at the doctor.

"Finally, someone who speaks English," Tony offered his hand to the doctor. Clio shook her head at her father's quirks.

"Is that what just happened?" Steve asked and looked at her.

"You'll get used to it," She offered and smiled at the Captain.

"It's good to meet you, doctor," Tony said. "And I'm a huge fan on the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green raging monster."

"DAD!" She scolded her father's behavior. The doctor looked uncomfortable as he only nodded at Tony.

"Doctor Banner is only here to track the cube. I was hoping you and your daughter could help him," Nick Fury interjected as he walked towards the group. Clio turned towards the man in surprise.

"No deal," Tony answered quickly. "My daughter will go back home, Coulson will take her. And then I can help track the cubes."

"My lack of knowledge about thermodynamic would probably just slow down both my father and Dr. Banner," Clio said politely.

"No true," her father argued making Clio scowl at him. "She's a fast learner, by the way. But the reason why she won't be helping is that I don't want her to get involved further."

"Believe it or not, she's already involved, Stark. I have heard that you've met Loki some time ago," Fury informed her to which she raised an eyebrow in surprise. Should she be surprised? This is a spy organization.

"Wait, what?" her father asked turning to her, giving her the look.

Clio ignored her father. "Yes, I've met him before but what does that have to do with me?"

"While Stark and Dr. Banner will track the location of the cube, I need you to talk to Loki and let him spill more knowledge about his plans," Fury continued; Stark made a sound of protest but she beat him to it.

"That's not going to work. A while ago, he tried to kill me," She informed them and pointed at the monitor where it showed Loki. "He pushed me off the cliff so whatever your plan is involving with me talking to him won't work. Besides, I refused to be in the same room with that creature," She growled the last part.

"Then, it settled," Tony said and clapped his hands once. "Clio won't partake into any of this."

"I disagree, my Lady," Thor interjected. Everyone turned towards him. "If my memories were clear, he didn't do it on purpose. He pushed you off because he knew I would come barreling at him, and not intending for you to fall off a cliff. When he realized you were falling, I saw fear in his eyes. At first, I thought it was fear from me finding out what he has been up to but now I know."

"What are you trying to say?" Clio asked. Thor smiled at her and moved closer.

"If I'm not mistaken, that necklace you are wearing is an Elvenmist," Thor informed as he pointed on her neck. Every eye turned to her neck which hung the crystal flower Loki gave her. "It is a rare flower from Asgard that only blooms every Ỳlir. That's the same flower my brother would often give to our mother."

"He gave you that?" Tony asked irritation now visible in his tone. Clio unconsciously touched her necklace.

"I admit that I have lost all hope that my brother would return to what he was before but now," Thor continued softly and gave her a smile. "There might be just a little,"

"Wait, the reason why I have this is that I asked him to," Clio interjected. But somehow, she felt little hope bloom inside her heart at Thor's words.

"My brother is known for his selfishness and mischief," He said and Clio stared at him, still not knowing what to do or what to say.

"Can somebody fill me in because there are too many gaps!" Tony said in a loud voice. Clio stared at her father for a while. Bruce put and hand Tony's shoulder and told him what happened when he was not here. The latter listened carefully and only making sounds of protest when finished.

"No way is she going to talk to that psychopath!" Tony said in disbelief. "Just look at his hair!"

"Uh, what's wrong with his hair?" Steve asked.

"He looked like one of the casts of Rock of Ages," Tony informed, earning an eye roll from Natasha and a sigh from Steve and Banner. "No offense, Point Break," Tony told Thor who only grunted not really getting the joke.

"I'll try to talk to him." She said after a while; Tony opened his mouth to protest. "It might work, Dad. Besides, if it doesn't, I'll go back to Stark Tower, I promise."

 **~0~**

She stood there as she watched him pace back and forth at the intercom outside the door. Her heart was hammering inside her chest. If what Thor said was true then this would work. It was already morning and she barely got time to sleep. Her mind was drifting to this certain god that she couldn't bug out.

"Do you want to back out?" Natasha asked. She had accompanied her here and offered to wait for her until they finished talking.

Clio shook her head, "I'll be back," she said before pushing the button to open the door. She stepped inside and saw Loki, his back facing her but she knew he was aware of her presence.

"Why have you come here?" He said in a cool voice. Clio swallowed the lump in her throat and moved forward to the chair in front of the containment cell.

"I just want to give this back," she said as she took off the necklace. Loki turned around and saw the necklace. He stared at it for a moment before he looked to the other side; his face looked bored.

"Throw it away, I don't want it back," He said. Clio sighed when he turned and smirked at her. "That's not the reason why you are here, though."

Her body tensed and tried not to show her surprised. "No," she admitted and seated on the chair. Loki rolled his eyes at her and paced back and forth again. "I've come to talk to you, Loki."

"There's nothing to talk about, leave me be." He said and glared at her when she did not move an inch.

"Nice cell, by the way," she said as she eyed the containment cell, ignoring his previous comment. "Somehow, it suits you."

"Ooh," he cooed at her and stands in front of her. "Is that all the insult you can say?"

"Why? Did it insult you?" She asked back and gave him a smug smirked.

"Very cocky," Loki commented as he continued to pace back and forth. "But no, it did not insult me."

"You know you can still stop whatever your plan is," she said and stood up to walk closer to the cell. She stared at him square in the eye. "Go back to where you belong, Loki. You don't belong here." She tried to void her face with emotions as she spoke to the god in front of her. She crossed her arms over her chest as he glared at her.

"There's no stopping me now," he informed her. "They are coming, once the monster is out there's no stopping me."

"Monster?" She asked then realization dawned on her. "You're planning to use Dr. Banner." She turned back to where Natasha was supposed to be standing behind the tinted glass. She probably heard it and went to tell the others.

Loki laughed at her and she turned back to him, "Don't worry, I'll spare you for the last. I'll let you watch as your family and friends die in my hands before I kill you slowly and intimately," He said with a suggestive stare as he looked at her up and down.

Clio slammed the glass with her hand and stared at Loki in disbelief. "The Loki I knew wouldn't say anything like that."

Loki looked taken aback before smirking at her as he put his hand to where her hand resides on the other side of the glass. "Oh, but the Loki you knew is already dead. You'll have to deal with me now, my dear."

"Is this your way of getting even to your family?" she asked; Loki glared at her for her statement.

"They are not my family," Loki said and glared at her as he paced back and forth again.

"Loki, Thor- "

"Do not speak of that imbecile in front of me!" He yelled back earning a gasp of surprise from Clio. "You don't know what it's been like. Being fed by lies all your life, all my life I believed I was the son of Odin." He said through gritted teeth. Her eyes widened when his skin started turning blue and his eyes turning red. "But I was not! I am the monster parents tell their children at night! That's the reason why my so-called father favored Thor all these years because no matter how much they claim to love me, they'll be having a monster sitting on a throne!" He yelled. He stood there breathing heavily with his skin blue and eyes blood-shot red.

"Loki," she muttered, unsure. Eyes wide with uncertainty and her feet felt cold at the moment.

"Look here, mortal," He said as he gazed at her coldly. He opened his arms wide. "Do you fear me now?"

As if, waking from a trance, Clio shook her head and eyed him with determination. "You're not a monster," She stated and Loki gazed at her in surprise. "If you were, you would have just let me die on that cliff; you would have killed me when you put your hand on my neck. You have every chance to kill me and you didn't. But all these," she motioned her hands. "It won't help you with your pain. Getting even won't change what you already knew; you just have to accept it,"

"Accept it?" He asked in bewilderment. "Would you if you were in my place?" when she didn't answer, he continued, "You wouldn't know, would you? You knew who you were from the beginning. Everyone accepted you and loved you. And you've never been cast as the shadow of the greatness of your brother. You know nothing," He growled the last part.

"Will it give you the satisfaction if every human bowed down to you?" She asked and he grinned in answer to her question.

She sighed in defeat and suddenly felt dizzy. She closed her eyes for a moment and leaned her forehead on the glass. She was sleep deprived and fatigue was already catching up to her body. "You should have killed me when you had the chance, I don't want to deal with this," She grunted.

When she opened her eyes, she saw him in front of her. His eyes are back to its green hues and his skin was back to normal. The anger and frustration in his eyes were replaced by a hint of worry.

"You looked pale," he stated. She didn't know what to say. Suddenly, her head was clearing up as she stared back at his green hues.

"You're a complicated guy, you know that? You were threatening me a while ago and now you're worried? You're crazy. I don't want to deal with this kind of mood swings!" she ranted which earned a smirk from Loki. She took a deep breath to calm herself and then smiled sadly at the god in front of her. "And I don't want to ever see you again,"

Loki shook his head and walked away from her to sit. "You'll see me every day after I get to be the ruler of this world."

Clio sat back down in the chair. "No, you won't," she smirked at him. "This is the last time I'd get to talk to you, after this I'll be going home. If my father were to fail in stopping you, I'd still be on the run."

Loki's smile faltered and glared at her. She stood up, "At least you told me you plan on using Dr. Banner. My work here is done. This is a goodbye, Loki."

She was in the middle of tying the necklace back to her neck when a loud explosion was heard. She stumbled on the railings and stared in confusion. She saw Loki grinning at her. Her eyes widened as she brought out her phone to contact her father.

"Little Owl," he answered; she could hear the shouts of others and her father's own heavy breaths.

"Dad, what's going on?" She asked as she walked over to the door.

"Stay where you are." He ordered, making her stop besides the door. "There was an explosion in the engines and we seem to be under attack. It's better if you stay there until we finished fixing it. I'll get Coulson to pick you up,"

"Okay," she said and turned back to look at Loki. "Be careful, Dad," she said before hanging up. She marched back to the cell. "What the hell is going on?! What are you planning to do?!"

"Temper, temper," Loki taunted. His grin went wider when there was a loud roar from the lower deck.

The hair at the nape of her neck stood up at the sound. It was from the monster and her father was down there fighting. She walked over to the door but before she could open it, an agent came strolling in.

"Oh, thank goodness you're here," Clio said but stopped dead on her tracks when he aimed his gun at her. She backed away slowly until her back hit the railings.

"The mouse is caught," Loki said. She ignored him and watched the agent. He went over to the control with his back on hers. He must have thought she was not a fighter.

Boy, was he wrong. She gave a forceful kick on the back of the agent's leg making him lose balance. There was a momentarily shock and Clio took advantage of it as she elbowed the agent square on the chin before grabbing the gun. As the agent tried to stand up, she shot him on the feet. The agent screamed in pain as he clutched his feet.

She breathed heavily, "Never have I been this glad to have taken sessions with Rhodey and Happy," she muttered and turned to Loki who was staring at her with wide eyes. "Not what you're expecting, darling?" She mocked, earning a glare from the caged man.

"It seems I have underestimated you," he said coldly. She shrugged her shoulder and repositioned the gun on her shoulder.

"Oh please, I'm just a doctor," she said and grinned at him but vanished when another agent walked in. She ducked when he fired his gun at her before she shot him on the feet like the other agent. She tried to pull the trigger again but it did not go off. She groaned and threw it away. She ran towards the door and kicked the agent's gun while she passed.

When the door opened, her hand shot up when two agents aimed their guns at her.

"Don't shoot," Loki ordered and she turned back to him to give him a confused look. He was grinning at her from ear to ear. "I'm going to be the one to deal with her,"

The taller agent went to grasp her arms in a tight hold that she winced. He dragged her to the corner and gave cuffed her hands. The other one went to open Loki's cage. She tried to struggle free from the man's grip but to no avail.

As the door of the cell was opening, Thor came barging in, knocking off the other agent who tried to stop him. "No!" He screamed as he ran and tried to grab Loki. Her eyes widened as she watched Thor past Loki and skidded inside the cage.

"Are you ever not going to fall for that?" Her eye turned to the other side of the room where Loki stood, staring at Thor.

The latter glared at his brother before turning his eyes on her. "My lady, are you hurt?" He asked; Clio shook her head in answer.

"You should worry about yourself more, you are in fact inside the cell and not me," she said as she bit her lower lip. Thor growled and tried to use his hammer to break the glass. The impact only provided a small crack to which Loki chuckled at.

"The humans think us a mortal," Loki said and walked over to the controls. "Should we test that?"

At the corner of her eyes, she saw a movement silently and stealthily. She scowled when she saw Coulson silently moving towards them. Her captor was busy looking at the cage that he didn't notice him creeping up to them. Knowing he couldn't take the two at the same time, Clio used her legs and swiped it across her captor's feet; twisting it and pulling him lose off his balance and land on his back earning a yelp from him. She gave him another kick on the head and he loses consciousness at the impact.

"Move away, please," Coulson said as he aimed the gun at Loki who backed away glaring. "You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent it back to Earth. Even I don't know what it does," he said as he readied the gun. "Want to find out?" The moment those words left his mouth, did he groaned in pain as another Loki plunged his scepter on his back.

"No!" Thor screamed in despair.

"Coulson!" Clio screamed; horrified as she watched the man slide down as he breathed heavily. "I take it back! You're a monster!" She cried as she run towards Coulson.

Loki ignored her and walked towards the panel to push a button. The hole under the cage opened wide and she watched as Loki pushed another button. She cried as the cage fall down the ship. Defeated, she turned back to Coulson to see him still breathing. "Stay with me, Coulson," she ordered; tears continued to stream down her face. "Can you move your hands? If you can, please put pressure on your back."

"He's not going to last," Loki said and she glared at him. He smirked and walked towards her. He dragged her to her feet as she struggled from him.

"Get away from me!" She screamed and tried to kick him on the shin. He groaned in annoyance and before she could make another move, darkness flooded her eyes as she loses consciousness.

* * *

 **Author's Note: This is by far the longest chapter I have written. It has 4.8k word counts. Anyways, I wanted to thank all those who have put this story in their Alert and Favorites. I really appreciate it! And to those who have reviewed, even better! I appreciate the effort. It keeps me going whenever I keep thinking I should delete this once.**

 **GuestLoki: Even when I'm writing it down, I felt my blood rushing with adrenaline. Haha. I hope this one put you the same rush! Keep in touch!**

 **M: I'm glad it still makes sense to you! I actually feared that along the run I might just stray from the original plot and makes no sense to the readers. Thank you for the review! Keep in touch!**

 **darkangelynn5: Your wish is granted! Here's the next chapter! Let me know what you think! Keep in touch!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Marvel Franchise. I only own Clio and the other OC's.**

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 **Chapter 6:**

 **Battle of New York**

 **~Loki's POV~**

There were million feelings he was experiencing right now as he carried the woman off the aircraft and into the tower Tony Stark had made. He kept asking himself why he had brought the woman with him when he could have just easily left her there with the other agent. Many times have he thought of killing her and just get on with it but a little part of him rebelled with the idea.

As gently as he could, he put her down on the carpeted floor and gaze at her for a minute. He knew for a fact that she might be the cause of his failure. Her words were like charm to his ears that for a moment he considered retreating with his plan. His attachment to this woman is getting stronger and he needs to fight it or this will be the end of him.

He reached out his hand to touch her face but then stopped in midair when he heard Selvig came in.

"I'm going to set up the device now," He informed and Loki only nodded in response. He waited until he heard the fading footstep of the doctor.

A soft groan came out of the woman's lips. How can this woman, so fragile and soft, make a mess inside his head? Now that he's so close to his goals? How can she understand and not understand him at all? It was so confusing. Ever since he met her a year ago, she never left his mind. Her eyes intrigued him at first until they were able to talk when she woke up on that fateful night. When he went back to Asgard and sat on the throne, all he could think about was how soft her skin was and how her eyes light up when he showed her magic.

After his talk with Thor on Earth, he sat on his throne that night with his mind invaded with the same woman that the next morning he decided to visit her. He was somewhat grateful for giving her the relic as it holds a small magic that can track her down.

He was glad he got to talk to her again and knew that was the last time he'll ever see her again. It was ironic. He, who hated mortals and despised them, would grow attach to something so feeble so fragile and would be just blip in existence.

When he was cast out to the abyss all he was thinking was the heartache he felt when his father turned him down despite his efforts, his love and hatred for his brother, his mother he grew up to, and this woman; those were the only things on his mind until the time he was pick up by his benefactor. He shivered at the thought. His time with his benefactor was the most difficult he had experienced; it was hell and all he wanted was to have his freedom. A freedom from pain. He'll gain it by taking power into Earth. He will not let a woman get into his way.

He stood up and walked out of the balcony. He watched Selvig as he prepared for the glorious moment. There's no stopping him now.

 **~0~**

 **~Tony's POV~**

"Stark, we need you to calm down," Steve Rogers said as he tried to grab his shoulder. When Fury broke the news about Coulson's death, that's when panic settled in. He personally asked the man to get his daughter and now she was missing.

"Calm down?" He growled at the captain and shoved his hand off his shoulder. "In case you're missing the problem here, Captain, my daughter is missing and the probability that she is taken by that son-of-a-bitch most likely can't calm me down! And we don't even have a clue where to find them!"

"That's why we need another plan of attack and we can't do that if you keep on lashing your anger at us," he said calmly but anger was evident in his eyes. The death of Coulson took a lot of toll on him. "Thor and Dr. Banner were off this ship."

Tony shook his head but stayed silent. His mind was playing dark images of his daughter sprawled on the floor bathing with her own blood. He closed his eyes and calmed himself.

"Let's just hope that Loki still never tried to hurt her," continued the Captain.

"Pray that he won't or he'll wish he'd never set foot here on Earth," he threatened before walking off. His feet had taken him to where Coulson died and to where his daughter was last seen. Anxiety and guilt were eating his whole system. If he hadn't send Coulson to his daughter, he wouldn't have died. He already knew his daughter means something to the God of Mischief and probably wouldn't try to hurt her but Coulson on the other hand was another story.

His mind kept on replaying his last conversation with his daughter. He should have rejected the plan of her talking to Loki. He shook his head. Clio was stubborn; even if he did reject the idea she would still talk to Loki.

He remembered the first time he saw her. A little baby wrapped in a blanket on a cold afternoon of December. She was lying next to his parents' grave when he saw her; it was the fifth death anniversary of his parents. There was no one around that time and she was crying. He was hesitant to pick her up that time but he did and took her home. At first he didn't thought much of her as he had brought her to an orphanage. He was not ready yet to become a father anyway.

He visited the orphanage once a year, giving what they need but never did he directly visit her. At the age of four, he accidentally saw her at the library of the orphanage reading alone while the other kids were playing outside. That caught his interest and he visited more often until his visits were directly to hers. He got to know her the more they talk to each other.

Until such time when the orphanage had contacted him that someone wanted to adopt her. Usually, he wouldn't give a damn but that morning, instead of going straight to his office, he drove to the orphanage with lightning speed and fought his right to claim her. He made Pepper arranged the adoption papers and quickly told the media about it. He remembered Stane wasn't very happy about it.

"Was he married?" Steve asked clearly followed him. Tony hadn't heard him sneak up on him.

"No. There was a Cellist, I think," Stark answered indicating Coulson was dating somebody. His heart ache at that thought of a woman who was waiting for someone who will never return. His mind drifted to Pepper for a moment before Steve spoke up again.

"I'm sorry, he seemed like a good man," Steve commented; Tony snickered with no humor.

"He was an idiot," he interjected and smirked at Steve.

"Why?" Steve asked with a scowl on his face. "For believing?"

"For taking Loki all alone," Tony answered and faced the captain before walking back. He felt anger rising up the more they talk about Coulson.

"He was doing his job," the captain defended walking towards Stark.

"He was out of his league," Tony said. "He should have waited."

"Sometimes, there's no other way out, Tony," Steve comforted earning another snicker from the billionaire.

"Right, I've heard that before," He said as he walked past the captain.

"Coulson tried his hardest to protect you daughter, Stark," Steve said.

"Don't you think I know that?!" He finally yelled and faced the captain. He realized it was the guilt that was eating him up more than his anger. "If I hadn't sent him to pick up my daughter none of this would have happened! He would have still been here with us!"

"Is this your first time losing a soldier?" Steve asked. The latter stared back at him incredulously.

"We are not soldier," He growled before swallowing the lump on his throat. Steve remained silent as he watched the man. "I'm not marching to Fury's fife."

"Neither am I," said the Captain, walking closer to Stark. "He's got the same blood on his hand that Loki has but right now we got to put that past behind us and get this done. We need to save the world and your daughter from him." Tony eyes turned to where Coulson died; smears of blood still visible at the spot. "Now, Loki needs a power source. If we could put together a list…"

"He made it personal," Tony said coolly.

"That's not the point." Steve interjected.

"That is the point," Tony insisted as an idea pop on his head. "That's Loki's point. He made it personal when he kidnapped my daughter. He hit us all right where we live. Why?"

"To tear us apart," Steve answered trying to follow what he's getting at.

"Divide and conquer," Tony mused to himself. The look on Steve was but of consfusion. "But he needs to take us out to win. That's what he wants. He wants to be seen beating us with an audience," he said and walked back trying to figure out more of Loki's plan. "His act on Stuttgard was only a preview and this right now is the opening night. And Loki is a full-tilt diva. He wants flowers, parades; he wants a monument built to the sky with his name on it…" He stopped in midsentence when realization struck.

Steve raised an eyebrow at him when he stopped talking.

"Son of a bitch."

 **~0~**

After explaining to the captain of his theory, he went to fix his suit while Rogers went to pick up Romanoff and Barton. It was a hard fix but if it managed to take him to Stark Tower, it'll do. Before he took off, he was met by Steve Rogers, Agent Romanoff and Agent Barton all set to take off using one of the jets. He nodded to Steve before he did and the latter followed.

When he arrived back at the tower, Selvig was already launching their device on the roof. "Shut it down, Dr. Selvig," he ordered. The said surprised man turned back to him and shook his head.

"It's too late!" He shouted; his eyes held great admiration to his project that leave Tony disgusted. "She can't stop now."

"Okay," He said and aimed his beam blast to the reactor but found it was protected. The impact bounced back at him; he managed to regain his balance.

"Sir, the barrier is pure energy. It's unbreachable," Jarvis informed him.

"Yeah, I got that," he said and he turned back to the balcony of his penthouse to see Loki smirking at him in amusement. "Plan B," he ordered.

"Sir, the Mark VII is not ready for deployment," Jarvis informed.

"Then skip the spinning rims, we're on the clock," He growled. He landed on his personal helipad as he had his armor taken off him. He walked inside the penthouse.

The first thing he noticed was his daughter lying on the carpet. He took off and ran towards her. He gathered her in his arms and checked for her pulse.

"Clio," He called out. "Clio, wake up." He sighed in relief when she stirred and slowly opened her eyes.

"Dad?" She managed to mutter weakly.

"Yeah, Sweet-cheeks, it's me," he answered. "Just rest for a bit, okay? I'll be back," he said and lowered her gently back on the floor. His eyes drifted to Loki leaning on the glass door panel leading outside the balcony. He stood up slowly, challenging Loki to do something. When the latter didn't move an inch, he walked over to the bar counter where his two metal bracelets were.

Loki's stare never left his as he watched him get a drink from one of his shelves.

"Please tell me you're going to appeal for my humanity," Loki said after sometime.

"Actually, I'm planning to threaten you," he said coolly. He eyed her daughter who didn't move an inch. The blow to her head must have been hard for her to fall back to sleep.

"You should have left your armor for that," Loki said with a smirk.

"Yeah," he nodded. "But it's seen a bit of mileage, and you've got the glow stick of destiny. Would you like a drink?"

"Stalling me won't change anything," Loki informed him and he faced his daughter lying on the floor. Tony tensed up for a moment.

"No, no. Threatening," he corrected as he poured down a drink to his glass. He watched as Loki stared at his daughter seeming to be lost in thoughts. He put on the metal bracelet on his wrist while he was distracted and took a sip from his glass before asking a question, "What is my daughter to you?"

"You are in no place to ask questions," Loki commented making Tony roll his eyes on him. "The Chitauri are coming and nothing will change that."

"Not even my daughter?" Tony asked assessing the God's response. He paused for a moment; a little surprised at the question but regained his composure.

"Not even her," he answered and walked off towards the glass panel.

"Clearly, you have some kind of an attachment to her and she wouldn't like it once she finds out that her world was already invaded by aliens. She likes Zombies by the way more than Aliens."

"I have no care in what she likes! She is nothing to me!" Loki yelled.

"Are you convincing me or are you convincing yourself? If she is nothing to you then you could have just killed her when you had the chance. Why?"

Loki glared at him before a grin spread out on his face, "Because I'll let her watch you die slowly in my hands or maybe the other way around? Which do you prefer, Stark?"

Tony matched his glare, "Don't you dare lay a finger on my daughter," he growled earning a wider grin from Loki. He took a deep breath to calm him and not let him get on his nerves. "You should watch it."

"What have I to fear?"

"You mean besides the fact that you should be afraid of the father of the girl you like? The Avengers," Tony answered coolly. Loki raised an eyebrow making Tony roll his eyes. "That's what we call ourselves. We're sort of like a team. 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes'-type of thing."

Loki grinned but clearly was losing his patience at the man, "Yes, I've met them."

Tony grinned smugly at him, "Yeah. It takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one but let's do a head count, here," he started. Loki stared at him coolly as he continued to talk, "Your brother, the demigod, a super soldier- a living legend who kind of lives up to be a legend, a man with breath-taking anger management issues, and a couple of masters assassins and you, big fela, managed to piss off every single one of them." He took a sip from drink and walked over to him.

Loki smiled smugly at him, "That was the plan."

Tony shook his head at him and pointed a finger, "Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you," the threat on his voice was evident.

"I have an army."

"We have a hulk," he said to which Loki protested by opening his mouth. "The point of this is there's no throne. There's no version of this where you come out on top. Maybe your army will come and maybe it's too much for us but it's all on you, because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damn well sure we'll avenge it." He eyed his daughter who was now stirring up. He needed to get the God of Mischief away before Clio regained full consciousness.

Loki glared at him as he grabbed him by the neck, aiming the scepter to his heart, "Let's see if they still have time to fight me when they're busy fighting you." He flinched when the scepter touched his reactor. There was an awkward silence where Loki stared at the scepter and his chest in confusion.

"This usually works," He said and tried it again.

Tony shrugged, "Well, performance issues are not uncommon." Loki growled and grabbed him by the neck and threw him across the floor. "Jarvis, any time now," He muttered as he tried to sit up but then was dragged up by Loki.

"You all will fall before me," he growled.

"Deploy!" He ordered and saw the elevator door opening, "Deploy!" Loki threw him out of the window.

 **~0~**

 **~Clio's POV~**

She heard her father before she even gained consciousness. "Just rest for a bit, okay? I'll be right back," she heard him say before she felt being laid back down to the ground. The pounding inside her head was getting worst as she fought her way to consciousness. She could hear others talking but it was so distant that she couldn't understand what they were talking about. There was a distant crash and blast and yelling before it all became quiet again.

Her mind tried to grasp what had happened before she lost consciousness. She remembered talking to Loki, her trying to beat the other agents, Thor barging in, Coulson trying to save her and then the blow at the back of her head. Her eyes snapped open as reality struck. Coulson had tried to save her and he paid a great deal.

She sat up slowly and felt her head was swimming. Shaking her head to clear it, she surveyed the area where she was and noticed she was back at Stark Tower. Taking a deep breath, she stood up cautiously. Readying her stance just in case there was a turned-agent, she stood up. A sigh escape her lips when there was no one inside. She jumped slightly when she heard an explosion that came from down below the city. She turned towards the balcony and Thor looking below the City clutching his side. She noticed he was holding a knife before throwing it away.

"Thor," she called out; the pain on her head getting much worst. The demigod turned to looked at her and saw her trying to get to the balcony. Quickly, he went over to her and tried to sit her down.

"My lady, it is unwise for you to see this," He said pushing her back. She scowled at him and pushed away his hand.

"What are you talking about?" She asked. She step aside from Thor and walked over to the balcony. A gasp left her lips at the scene she saw. The city was under attack; explosions were going off everywhere and what's even worst was that there was a giant centipede flying across the city. "What the hell?"

"Loki managed to open the portal," Thor informed her. "When we got here it was too late," he said solemnly.

Her eyes widened when the giant centipede crashed into a building. Even from here, she could hear the shouts and screams of the people below. Sirens wailed from the distance. How many have already perished?

"It's best if you stay here to keep you out of danger, my lady," Thor commented and she shook her head in response.

"No," she strongly said. "There are civilians trap inside that building, Thor. How can Loki do this?" she said coldly. Thor put a hand on her shoulder.

"I tried stopping him but his mind was already set," Thor said with a sad sighed.

Clio growled, "Forget about Loki, Thor. We need to save this city and help other civilians. We tried our best convincing your brother. It's not our fault anymore," she comforted. Thor nodded at her still a little bit down about what happened.

She looked at him in the eye, "I'm going to help. Wait here," she said and took off to her father's lab.

She knew he kept a gun which shoots like his suit's beam blast. He showed it to her when she first visited here. He made it specifically to her in case she will ever need it. At first she laughed it off saying she wouldn't have the need to use it until now.

"Jarvis," she called out. "I need to use one of my dad's beam blast," she informed.

"You mean the one he made for you? It's located over the counter near his desk," he informed. Quickly, she opened one of the drawers and looked inside. She gaze at the small gun, it was small like a caliber .45 but has the same effect of weapons he used to build.

"Thank you, Jarvis," she said as she grabbed two of the guns and put an extra on the back of her jeans.

"You're welcome, Clio," the A.I. responded. "If you open the drawer to the left you'll find your emergency medical kit that Mr. Stark made just in case you encounter wounded civilians."

"Wow, you took the words from my mouth, thank, J!" She beamed and opened the left drawer. The emergency medical kit was designed by Tony which was voice activated by only hers and her father's. It composed of several equipment needed to treat patients for emergencies. Tony used to joke as the walking hospital. She arranged the bag on her shoulders before running back to Thor who was looking at her curiously.

"Do you know how to use those, my lady?" He questioned, eyeing the gun she was carrying.

Clio stared at him with a raised eyebrow before quickly shooting one of the Chitauri descending from the sky. The blast hit its target and went spiraling down to the city and crashed into the ground. Ever since the first attempt of her kidnap took place when she was 12 year old, Rhodey went ahead and taught her how to handle any kind of guns and some close range combat for defense; how many times did he complimented her quick reflexes that even she was surprised by it too. Their training stopped when she got a job and didn't have much time to it anyway.

"I should have expected more to the daughter of the man of iron."

"Get me to the ground then," she said and grinned at him. Thor nodded and grabbed her by the waist before taking off.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Hi guys! I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! I find writing this one hard than the others but here it is. Thank you all for waiting!**

 **darkangelynn5:** Hey thank you so much for another review on this one! I'm so glad you liked the previous chapter. I don't know whether this one is a bit much. But hope you enjoyed!

 **elljayde:** Wow thank you! I have already written 5 chapters ahead so stay tuned for more!

 **M** : Whew, I thought Loki and Clio lacked chemistry but I'm so glad you think their interactions are realistic. I really enjoyed writing Tony. Even I can't help but chuckle whenever he was around in the scene.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Marvel Franchise. I only own my OC's**

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

 **The Final Battle**

Romanoff stared at her incredulously. "Hey, you know how to use guns," she complimented. She and Thor landed just in time for her to shoot one of the Chitauri trying to sneak up on Natasha. The latter gave a momentary pause at what happened.

"Shocking, right?" Clio grinned at her. She saw a man aiming an arrow at her before she ducked. She turned and saw a Chitauri fall down.

"Clio, this is Clint Barton," Romanoff introduced as she swiped her knife at the back of an alien. "Clint, this is Clio Stark."

"Glad you could join us, Miss Stark. I heard you're a doctor," Barton said as he pulled three of his arrows.

"Just Clio, please," she said as she shot down four more Chitauri. "I'm not a physician but I know a thing or two about treating injuries."

"Great," Barton said as he pointed at the bus. "There's an injured pregnant woman inside, can you tend to her?"

"Sure," she said. She gave Thor a thankful smile before she dashed off to where the bus was located. She ducked when another Chitauri tried to shoot her. Before the alien could go any further, she shot it on the chest earning a gurgling sound and a thump.

"Ugh, nasty," she said in disgust as she stepped over the body.

She saw the pregnant lady who was being accompanied by a man presuming her husband.

"Hey, I'm Dr. Clio Stark, please don't panic," she greeted as she crouched down at their level. She inspected the lady who was whimpering and saw her leg was twisted in an abnormal angle. She was not a physician, it's true but she had undergone trainings and seminars to emergencies like this. It was part of their program to be a health care provider despite being always inside the lab. "Ma'am, how many months are you pregnant?"

"She's six months pregnant, Doctor. Can you help us please? She keeps on crying whenever I try to carry her," The man besides her pleaded. Clio nodded her head in answer.

"I'm going to reposition the bone to normal," she informed them. "But please understand that this will hurt because I can't administer anesthesia to your pregnant wife."

He sighed before nodding, "Just please save her."

She nodded then turned back to her backpack, "F.R.I.D.A.Y., I need a sterile cloth please." The backpack lighted green indicating that her command was heard. It opened a small pocket and in it came the sterile cloth she had asked. She grabbed one and presented it to the lady. "Ma'am, I need you to bite on this cloth."

The lady quickly grabbed it and put it in her mouth. She closed her eyes and braced herself. "This will be very quick," she assured as she put her hands on her leg. With a swift motion and painful cry from the lady, the bone snapped back to its place. Clio asked the backpack for plasters and cast, and tended on the lady's leg. "I've put on a temporary cast, please bring here to a hospital right away," she ordered and the man nodded before carrying his wife.

She watched them flee for a moment before she gave a yelp when she heard a thud near her and aimed her gun at the sound.

"Woah, easy. Glad you're okay," Steve said and smiled at her. She noticed he was carrying a little boy crying in his arms.

"What happened to him?" She asked worriedly. Steve gently put the boy to her arms as she offered her arms to the boy.

"Found him near a collapsing building," He answered. Clio checked the boy for any injury and saw abrasions on his arm up to his neck. She assumed he was somewhat eight years old or younger.

"No adult?" She asked as she worked on treating the boy.

"Negative," Steve answered then turned back to the boy. "Hey, kid, do you have anyone with you?"

The boy sniffed and rubbed his eyes, "Momma said she needed to get something from the store," he replied as another round of tears spring from his eyes. Clio gazed at the boy with sympathy. "She said to wait in the car but the things from the sky came and I got out looking for her. Then lots of people start pushing me out of the way," he said as he tried to contain his sobs.

"Tell me where the store is at and I'll go get your momma," Steve said. The kid told the captain the location of the store while the captain listened carefully. She and Steve shared a look and she nodded her head in understanding. "You're going to stay here with this kind lady and when I come back, I'm with your momma, okay?"

"'kay," he answered as he flinched away slightly from the ointment she was applying.

She looked around the people who were running for their lives while Steve beat a Chitauri that showed up near them. "Captain, we need to get these people out of the street. Buildings are not optional since that worm-thingy keeps hitting every building it sees," she suggested. "There are other civilians inside the building."

"What do you suggest we do?" Steve asked.

"Get any officers as much as you can to lead the people down to the subway or any basement or better yet away from the city, and try to save those who are trap inside."

Steve nodded and put a hand on her shoulder, "Stay safe, Ma'am."

"Aye-aye, Captain," she joked earning a smile from him before he took off. She looked around the chaos and went to finish her work at the boy. It was not safe here despite them hidden next to a car. "Come on; let's go find others who need help."

They ventured to where she thinks her help is needed. She tried to keep shooting the other Chitauri who were trapping other people on their way. The sight of her shooting and carrying a kid may not be reassuring to others but they damn well scrambled to their feet as she shouted for them to take cover.

A gasp escaped her lips when more giant-centipede things came out of the sky. One flying pass them and on its back were Chitauri landing on the ground; some on the buildings. They were surrounded. As the boy clung to her neck, she tried shooting the others out of the way while ducking to some debris when they tried to shoot back. She knew her attempts were futile as more Chitauri descended from the sky.

"Are we going to die, lady?" the boy asked from her neck. Clio heaved a sigh and shook her head.

"No, we're not," she said, letting go of the backpack and the boy as she continued to shoot the Chitauri from the sky.

"Are you saying that so I won't be scared?" the boy continued.

"Probably," she muttered and yelped when a blast almost hit her hand. She grabbed the other gun and started shooting again. To her relief, Iron Man passed by and blasted the remaining Chitauri on their way.

"Go back to the tower, Little Owl and try to find a way to shut down the device!" Tony shouted as he flew pass her again.

"Easier said than done, Dad!" She shouted back as she carried the boy again and ventured towards the tower. "Can't you fly us there?" she asked when she saw him again.

"Uh, busy at the moment," he answered hesitantly as he flew past them again with the centipede thing on his tail. Her eyes widened at the enormous flying worm. "Now is the time for you to run."

She sighed exasperatedly. As she was picking up the boy to run, she, luckily, found a motorcycle parked near one of the buildings. "This is so crazy," she muttered as she picked up the motorcycle. Making sure the boy was safe from her back, she started the engine

"You know how to drive that?" she heard her father asked who was nearing to them while blasting the Chitauri that were also making its way to them.

"No!" she answered and swerved the clutch making the engine move forward slightly. "But you did say I'm a fast learner."

"When someone is teaching you!" Tony barked and Clio rolled her eyes. "That's not one of your PhD's!"

"So is fighting aliens, Dad!" She barked back and once again swerved the clutch. The motorcycle moved forward, luckily, she knew how to ride a bike and she had read a thing or two about driving one of these.

Giving a whoop, she drove towards the tower avoiding cars that were left behind on the streets. Maybe luck was on her side when the street was empty of Chitauri. If there ever was a Chitauri, it would be shot by an arrow falling dead. She thought of the Agent Barton who she saw using bows and arrows a while ago.

As they passed by the street, her eyes scanned their way and she saw number of people lying down presumed dead. The boy must have seen it too as he clung tightly to her waist and a small sob escaped him. Her heart ached for him. How can Loki stomach this sight? How can he just let this happen? And it's all because of a family feud? She gritted her teeth and shook her head. No, it was more than that. She knew all this was the cause of his vulnerability and fragility that he tried so hard to hide. In the helicarrier, for a moment she saw how fragile he was showing her his true form. He did not want this, she could feel it. She will stop this once and for all. With new found determination, she drove faster towards Stark Tower.

Once they were inside the tower, she quickly went inside the elevator that will bring her to the Penthouse. As the elevator lifts them up, she put the kid down. She crouched on his eye level and check if he sustained another injury.

"Is this the end of the world?" He asked; her eyes snap back to his.

"What? No," she answered quickly. "Listen, the world is being under attack but trust me, there are people who are willing to sacrifice their lives to save it."

"Just like Iron Man?" He asked; eyes full of innocence and wonder.

She smiled at him and nodded, "Yes, just like them."

"Whoever started this will get beaten by them," he beamed. Her smile faltered slightly as she remembered Loki.

"I never got your name," she changed the topic. "My name is Clio."

"My name is Peter," he said with a cheeky grin but then faltered and looked down the ground.

Clio caressed his cheek a little worried of the sudden change of mood, "Is something wrong? Did you get hurt?"

Peter shook his head but tears started welling in his eyes, "This happened before," he muttered. "My dad died when bad robot guys started attacking."

Her eyes widened when she realized he was talking about the Hammer-drones. She clutched his shoulders as he started crying and pulled him to her chest.

"Iron Man saved me when the robot guy tried to kill me and now mommy is gone," he said between sobs. She rubbed his back and tried to soothe him.

"Don't say that," she muttered. "Didn't Captain America say he'll find your mommy? Don't cry now, Peter. Everything will be okay," she comforted and to her relief his crying ceased. He clung to her tight so she carried him again when the elevator door opened. They walked inside the penthouse and set the boy on the sofa. "Stay here, okay?"

She didn't wait for his answer and went to the balcony. She stared at the destruction in front of her; there were more creepy-flying thing coming out of the portal. The Hulk and Thor were on its back trying to subdue it. Iron Man was flying across the street and blasting every Chitauri he saw upon. She walked further to the edge and her feet landed on something hard. Her eyes widened when she saw the scepter beneath her feet.

Hesitantly, she picked it up and surveyed it. It must have fallen from Loki's grip; speaking of Loki, she hadn't seen him since she blacked out. Her head snapped back when she head Natasha screaming at Barton for help. They were coming this way and instantly knew Romanoff planned on getting to where the device was. She went back inside and grabbed the little boy.

"I need you to hide, Peter, can you do that for me?" she asked and for a second the boy was hesitant. He even clung to her wrist before nodding. She ruffled his hair and smiled, "Don't worry, I'll come get you when this is all over."

"'kay," he answered and they walked to the private elevator.

"Jarvis, can you please take him to my room?" She asked and she pushed him towards the elevator. "Do not let him get out until I pick him up."

"Certainly, Clio," the A.I. responded before closing the elevator.

She ran towards another elevator and pushed the button up to the rooftop. Before the door closed, an explosion was heard and saw Loki falling to the balcony. Her feet automatically step forward to go to him but the door closed before her face. A sighed escaped her lips and she shook her head.

When the door opened again, she saw Romanoff crouched in front of the doctor. "Loki's scepter," she heard Natasha muttered.

"May be able to close the portal," the doctor finished. Clio stared at the weapon on her hand. Was it really possible? Heart pounding rapidly, she walked over to the two who haven't notice her presence yet.

"You mean this scepter?" she spoke up. The two turned to her startled. Natasha grinned at her and walked over to grab it.

"Where'd you get this?" she asked.

"I found it on the balcony. I think Loki dropped it," she answered and Natasha nodded.

"Great work," Natasha commented and ruffled her hair before she went over to the device.

Clio helped Selvig set up the computer as Natasha readied her stance next to the device.

"Right at the crown," Selvig instructed. She watched Natasha thrust the scepter inside the barrier.

"I can close the portal," Natasha said with a grin and Clio realized she was speaking through her earpiece. "Can anyone copy? I can shut the portal down."

Before she can touch it, she stopped and listened to the earpiece again; the grin vanishing. "What's happening?" Clio asked the red-haired agent.

Romanoff's eyes widened and turned towards them, "There's a missile launching towards the city and it's going to blow up in less than a minute."

"What?"Clio asked incredulously. Natasha listened again to her earpiece before she stared at her in sympathy which puzzled her. It was then she realized why when she saw the missile heading towards the Tower with Iron Man beneath it. Her eyes widened and tried to run towards the edge but Selvig held her. The missile shot right up and launch towards the portal.

"DAD!" She screamed in horror when Tony vanished inside the portal. There was a dead silence as they all watch in horror when the missile hit the target and exploded. The flying things shut down in process with the other Chitauri falling to the ground.

"Come on, Dad, come on," she muttered as she searched the sky for any signs of Tony. Heart pounding rapidly in her chest, they watched the portal and the explosion from within.

She then realized there will be a wave from the impact and it's heading down the city. Her eyes widened when she saw Natasha also realizing the same thing and went to push the scepter further to the device. "What are you doing?! My dad is still up there!" She screamed at her and tried to grab the scepter back.

"I'm sorry, Clio, but we need to close it before it falls down on the city," she said solemnly, her voice breaking just a little. Clio shook her head as tears fell down from her eyes.

"No, no, no, Natasha, please," she begged as she sobbed. "Just a second please. You can't."

Natasha stared at her in sympathy before she shook her head, "I'm sorry," she said before pushing her off very hard and thrusting the scepter for the last time.

Clio screamed as she watched with heavy heart as the device stopped working at the touch of the scepter and the portal started to close.

Natasha let go of the scepter and stared at her guiltily. She walked over to her and put an arm around her shoulder. "I'm sorry," she muttered.

She couldn't get angry at her because she knew it was for the city's sake why she did that. She leaned towards her shoulder and sobbed as they both watch the portal's near closing.

It was over, the city was safe but her dad wouldn't be here. She closed her eyes when she thought of her father; his quirkiness and stubbornness. She tried to remember the last dinner they had. How long ago was that? She was happy at that moment, both Tony and Pepper were happy and now it was all gone. The family she was thankful for, now gone. There was a moment pause as realization dawned on her like a brick on a head that she will never see Tony again. How will she ever go by? How will she tell Pepper?

As she wallowed in sadness and grief, she heard Natasha gasped besides her. "It's him," she heard Natasha muttered more to herself.

Clio opened her eyes and looked up to see something red falling down very fast to the ground. She pulled herself from Natasha and walked over to the edge as she watch it fall; heart resting in relief as she saw her father's familiar suit.

Before he could fall further, Hulk caught him and slide off the building and into the ground. Thor and Steve ran to them and checked Tony. She couldn't moved, she waited for any sign that her father was okay. She could not tell what was happening and she could not move any of her limbs as she silently prayed. Then a loud roar emitted from the Hulk. She sighed in relief when she saw Steve waved at them indicating Tony was fine.

She let out a sob of relief as she saw Steve help Tony back to his feet. She turned to Natasha who smiled at her and helped her up from the ground.

They watched Hulk climbed to the Tower while Thor carried the Captain by his shield and fly towards the tower and lastly, Tony, with all the might of what left of his suit flew towards his home.

Natasha grabbed the scepter and turned to look at her, "Clio, can you tend to Dr. Selvig first?" She asked and Clio nodded. She grabbed her backpack as the red-haired agent went to the elevator and waited for them.

"We'll follow suit, you go ahead," she said. Natasha nodded in understanding and went inside the elevator.

Eric let her tend to his head wound before he sighed, "How could I let this happen?"

"It's not your fault, you didn't know what you were doing," she comforted; he shook his head.

"It showed me the truth, why should I think it is," Clio only nodded in understanding. He was suffering from mild concussion and she helped him back to the elevator.

"You're going to be alright, Dr. Selvig," she said.

"I admire you, Dr. Stark. If you ever meet my colleague, Jane Foster, you two would get along pretty well," he said with fondness.

"I've heard about her especially her Foster Theory," she said as they entered the elevator.

"If you ever have time, please visit our laboratory," he said and Clio nodded with a smile. The invitation made her heart swell.

"I would love to meet her soon," she said.

 **~Tony's POV~**

"If it's all the same to you," Loki said and grunted as he tried to sit up properly. Thor glared at him while the Hulk let out a huff. "I'll have that drink now."

Tony smirked at him. "Too late for that, Reindeer-games. Besides, after this we'll be getting Shawarma down by the block and you're not invited." He said sarcastically. Romanoff rolled her eyes at his statement.

Before anyone can make another move, Jarvis spoke up. "Sir, I don't mean to interrupt but Miss Clio is on her way here with Dr. Selvig." At the mention of her name, Loki glanced up to the ceiling and tensed.

"I asked you before, what is my daughter to you," Tony said coolly as he glared at him. Loki shook his head, "She means something to you for you to act this way."

"I don't know," Loki admitted truthfully and stared at the ground. Everyone in the room stared at him in surprised. They weren't expecting him to tell the truth, were they?

"Hey, Point Break, any chance you have that cuff that Fury gave you to lock your brother's magic? Now's the best time to use it," He said; Thor grabbed something from his pocket before tossing it to Barton who caught and quickly cuffed Loki.

Tony turned his stare to the Hulk. "Hey, buddy, as much as I like how green and big you are and all and would much prefer you to stay like that but," he paused trying to assess if the big guy can understand him. "My daughter is coming. Would you be so kind as to not scare a little girl away?" the Hulk huff again before struggling to go back to being Banner.

"She's capable of handling anything, Stark," Natasha asserted proudly as she helped Banner cover himself up. "She's one of a kind."

"Of course she is!" Tony beamed. "She may not come from this loins but she's my daughter per se," he said. Natasha and Steve rolled their eyes on him.

The elevator door dinged open and out came her beat-up form of her daughter with Selvig.

"Hey, Little Owl," he greeted with a grin.

She stood there watching whether he was real or not but later ran up to him and he opened his arms to catch her.

"This was the third time!" She growled as she buried her face on his neck. He caressed her head lightly and chuckled.

"I promise you that will be the last," he said. She pulled away and sniffed, wiping away the tears on tear-streaked face.

"It better be," she threatened.

 **~Clio's POV~**

After making sure Tony was okay and the others assured her they need no medical assistance, she turned back to the God of Mischief; green eyes meeting her stormy gray ones. The look in his eyes were vulnerable and at loss that for a moment she saw the God she had talk to at the cliff as they watched the sun set. Her hand gingerly touched the necklace on her neck before turning back to her father.

"Can you leave us for a moment?" She asked and Tony scowled at her daughter.

"What are you crazy? Now way will I leave you with this psychopath again?" He barked and then glared at the God of Mischief. He then sighed when he saw determination in his daughter's eyes.

The room was silence for a moment. But everyone was shocked when Tony walked towards the room while grumbling under his breath and motioned everyone to follow.

"Hey, Reindeer-games! If you as so much harm my daughter, you will never have the chance to go back to Asgard instead I will kill you right here and then," he threatened while Natasha explained everything to the confused Barton.

They all walked in the elevator but before the door closed, Tony ran back and grabbed two bottles of scotch, tossing the other to Barton, before joining the others.

"Oh, Captain," she called making Steve looked at her in question. "The boy is safe in my room," she informed. Steve nodded in realization. "Have you found his mother?"

Steve stared at her with a sad look that Clio realized what it was before he even said it. He walked over to her and pulled out a photo. It was a photo of the boy with a woman and man besides him. "When I got to the location he told me, I found a woman buried in debris and I saw this in her pocket."

Clio stared at him with a look of worry. "Can you tell him?"

Steve stared at her, a little shock from the favor but then nodded. "I guess, I'll try."

"Thank you," she said sincerely and the captain squeezed her shoulder before nodding. "Jarvis, can you help Captain Rogers to the boy?"

"Certainly, Clio," answered the A.I.

Once everyone was gone, she turned to face him. She crouched to his level and stared at him, "You know, I've always imagined us reuniting but not like this."

"What do you imagine?" he asked softly; her lips pursed as she stared at him.

"I'd rather have you riding a horse in glory," she half-joked; Loki couldn't help but smile. They stared at each other for a second in silence before she reached up and pulled the necklace off her neck. "I need to give this back to you."

The look on Loki's face made her heart ache; devastation and sorrow was written on his face before he nodded slowly. She knew there was something, some sort of like a bond, between them; she felt it. The night he saved her from dying, sealed their fate together. She realized it now that she feels something for him and hoped he felt the same. How can she not? Despite all the pain she was put through, she didn't have the guts to hate him. And she knew behind the cold mask he always tried to put on, there's something more; a boy who most likely just want to be acknowledged. She knew how that felt; she wanted to be known for herself not as the adopted daughter of the billionaire. Unlike Loki, she managed to make a name for herself in a good way.

"I know you're confused, Loki," she said after she put the necklace back to his hand. "My heart still hopes that all of these weren't really what you wanted." He gazed at her with sadness.

"It's not," he whispered softly that for a second she didn't clearly hear it.

"The least you can do now is to explain yourself, you know," she said as she wiped her face. She hadn't noticed that she was crying until her fingers touched her face.

"It's complicated," he said; pain evident on his voice. "I let my greed take over me and betrayed my family. I fought my brother and insulted him for being in love with a mortal woman when I'm no better," he said, not looking at her. Her eyes widened a fraction and swallowed a lump in her throat. Could it be that he feels something for her too? The look in his eyes was hard to guess. "I just wanted to be accepted by Odin and be treated equally with my brother. Eventually, I fell into the abyss and was picked up by the one who gave me the scepter. I don't know what he did to me but he managed to brainwash me in attacking Midgard and ruling over it with the promise that he'll free me."

"You're free now from him, right?" she asked and Loki shook his head but did not give a reply.

Loki chuckled humorlessly, "I'm not one for sentiment; I hate it really, but hear me when I say I've found clarity in you. I was caught up in my plan and did not realize it sooner," he admitted; her heart pounded faster at his confession that she couldn't stop the sobs that escape her throat.

Her hand went up to touch his face and found it cold to the touch. He closed his eyes and leaned over to her touch.

"What happens now?" she asked. Loki opened his eyes and stared at her.

"I do not know," he answered. "I might be exiled for this."

"Exiled?" she asked bewildered. It did not occur to her and now she was starting to panic.

"Yes," he said, "What I have done here on Midgard is unforgivable by Odin. Those who have opposed the laws of Odin are guaranteed to be exiled, if not death."

Silence descended upon them as they felt the heaviness of the punishment Odin might make. "Let's run," she whispered after some time not really bothering thinking.

Loki's eyes widened but then gave a small smile. "We cannot do that," he said and she shook her head.

"We can!" she answered and pointed at his cuff, "If I get this off you, you can teleport us anywhere but here."

"Why would you do such a thing for me? I know deep down you must have hated me," he said with a scowl on his face. "The boy you talked about his mother died because of what transpired here. Don't you hate me for that?"

The statement took Clio off-guard that for a moment she just stared at him. Her eyes found their way to her hands as she assessed her feelings. "I don't hate you," she muttered after some time. Then stared at him with determination that even Loki found it very confusing, "I don't hate you. What you did was unforgivable, yes, but I don't hate you, Loki."

Loki's eyes widened at her words. His was mouth hanging slightly open as he stared at her. "Don't ask me why because I don't know, either. But deep down," she paused as she gathered her breath. "Deep down, I care. You're a selfish and childish god who only knows how to play with people! You think no one cared? What about Thor? He cared for you deeply but you always turn him away. You shut yourself out. You let the world change your views in life. But Loki, don't do the same to me."

They sat there in silence as they stared at each other. Loki, regaining from his shock at her little outburst, raised his cuffed wrist and wiped her cheeks who she only realized was streaking with tears.

A sad smile grazed his lips, "Even so, I cannot just take you away. You love your family and friends too much and I know you will be saddened if you flee from them. But I thank you for everything that you have done. You are kind and warmhearted and it amazes me and I am guessing that many people around you thought so too," he said. "Do not worry, Little One, for I will be okay."

The elevator door opened and out came the others. Steve was already carrying the little boy in his arms. Tony walked over to stand behind her and she noticed Dr. Banner already wearing clothes and he and Barton held a bottle of scotch in their hands.

"Brother," Clio turned back to see Thor beside her and she lowered her hand from Loki's face. The latter opened his eyes but didn't look up at his brother. "I have heard of what you speak awhile ago with Lady Clio. I will talk to the All-father about this so he can lighten up your punishment and we'll track down this creature you speak of." Somehow that didn't surprise her; she knew Tony ordered Jarvis to spy on them from the other room. That must be the reason for the sympathetic looks she received earlier.

"You will do no such thing," Loki replied coldly as he glared at his brother. "Take me to Asgard and let Odin punish me as he sees fit."

She stared at him with sadness. "But he was not the one who ordered the attack," she tried to reasoned out. Loki stared at her. There was something in his eyes. It was a mixture of gratefulness, sincerity and grief. "There was this benefactor that…"

"We know, Clio, we've heard his confession," Natasha spoke up. "But ordered or not ordered, he's still responsible for the damaged it caused to the city."

Tony gently tried to make her stand, "I'm sorry, Sugarplum."

"It is for the best that he faces Asgardian punishment for this as I will not be comfortable from the fact that he will be punish in Midgard," Thor spoke. "I mean no offense when I say that I do not trust your people."

"I get your logic from this, Thor," The Captain said. "And yes, it will probably for the best." He turned towards her and gave her a smile and patted her on the shoulder.

She couldn't return the smile and thus ended up just staring at him. Many thought swirled inside her head and she can't fathom the longer she thought about it. For the third time, he was leaving her again and this time she knew he wouldn't come back.

"So, everyone ready for Shawarma?" Tony asked breaking the silence then he pointed at Loki, "You're still not invited."

* * *

 **Author's Note: There you go! The final battle! I hope you guys enjoyed reading this one! I find it hard writing this chapter that I don't know how to write it without making the characters out of character. But when i got around my writers block, I managed to write 5.8k word count!**

 **elljayde:** I already have a plan for Clio's parentage so tune in for iit. Thank you for the review by the way!

 **Black Moon Daughter:** That's our Clio. I'm kind of proud of her in this chapter. Thank you for the review!

 **M:** Hey! Here you go! I hope you enjoyed this one. I like this chapter for a reason. Tell me what you think!


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Marvel characters. I only own my OC.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

 **Trouble**

 **~1 Year Passed~**

Clio walked inside the house she'd been accustomed in visiting for a week now. Her heart sank at the pile of unwashed dishes on the sink and not to mention the grease and oil on the kitchen counter. Before doing an errand, she decided to check up on this house this morning and already greeted the same sight. It had been already a week that she's seeing this kind of things and whether or not be accustomed by it, she would never know.

With silent steps, her feet brought her in front of a room where her new friend resided. Not bothering to knock, she opened it and sighing at what she saw.

"You've been working your ass off since morning," she commented to the astrophysicist who hadn't moved an inch from her chair. Jane's team was stationed to London at the moment where they were working at her mother's house. She was called by Eric Selvig about some new findings but the said scientist was nowhere to be found. Clio, on the other hand, was currently on a research seminar for two weeks here in London and went ahead to visit. Eric was right when he told her they would both get along pretty well.

They met at the victory party Tony hosted after the reconstruction of the Tower where Eric Selvig brought her. They had a nice conversation all night; work related and stuff and there were also Thor-related conversation where she was thoroughly upset at the god for not coming to visit her when he was on Earth.

"And you've been nagging my ass since morning," she grunted not bothering to look up; her chocolate brown hair pulled into a messy bun and Clio could swear she was wearing the same shirt last night.

"Did you even try to bathe or something?" She joked and went over to her friend's desk. "Come on, Jane at least try to eat," she said and looked around. "Look at this place, it's so…"

"Dirty?" Jane supplemented earning a roll from her.

"Unorganized," she corrected. She started picking up the clothes that were just strewn across the room and put it in the laundry basket. "Where's Darcy anyway?"

Jane sighed and rubbed her forehead, "She said she had to do something and would be back tonight," she said. "Hey, don't pick up my stuff!"

"Well someone's got to clean up your mess if you're not going to!" She argued and opened the blinds of her window to let the mid-afternoon sun rays hit the room. A groan escaped Jane's mouth at the sudden blinding light.

Clio started arranging her bed sheets whilst her friend arranged the notes on her desk.

After the party, Eric told her that Jane was moping. She felt sorry for the astrophysicist and she wished there was anything she could do but the only one she knew who had connections with Thor was Steve Rogers and even she did not know where the Captain was at the moment.

"He's not coming back, is he?" the question surprised Clio more than she was prepared for. She thought at it for a moment and sighed.

"It doesn't matter if Thor comes back or not, but you can't stay like that forever," she said as she fluffed her pillow. "Ever since you learned Thor was on Earth you've been like this."

"He couldn't even try to visit," Jane said bitterly before she laughed without humor. "Look at us; we're in love with guys who we don't know whether they are a god or an alien."

Clio felt the familiar pain rose up at her words. She had told her everything about Loki. If there was someone who could understand her, it would be Jane.

"I am not in love with Loki," she emphasized as she started arranging her things on the dresser.

"I am not in love with Loki," she imitated only in a mocking tone. "Yeah right, tell that to my ass."

"Maybe, I will and maybe I'll tell your ass to get up and take a shower! It might listen to me!" She remarked then sighed. "I'm not in love with the guy. I do care for him but love is too deep, Jane and I haven't forgiven him yet."

"Whether you forgive him or not doesn't change the fact that you feel something for him. Don't deny it, Clio. It's evident whenever we try to talk about those two Asgardians. You always try to come up of a way to avoid the topic."

"You know, it's not easy for me. My dad almost died in Loki's plot," she said trying to control the anger rising.

"Don't get me wrong, I would love to punch Loki in the face too, but you, of all people, knew him."

Clio shook her head and sighed, "Maybe I do feel something for him but that doesn't change the fact that I'm still angry at him."

"Well, what if he comes back?" Jane teased with a grin.

Without humor, Clio laughed, "Impossible, the difference between the two of them is that Thor promised he'd come back," she pointed out; Jane rolled her eyes at her statement.

"But he didn't promised he'd come back to me, specifically," she interjected stubbornly making Clio sigh. She didn't comment at it as she knew it would lead more to the topic she so desperately tried to ignore.

"Go wash yourself, I'll make you some coffee," Clio said before it gets any further.

"Avoiding the topic again, I see," Jane teased earning a glared from her.

"Just go," she threatened jokingly and pinched her nose. "I swear you smell."

"Hey!" Jane argued and threw her a pen which she laughingly dodged as she went out of the room.

She walked over to the sink and started cleaning up the week old dishes. It might help in calming the sudden feeling that burst out when Loki was mentioned. She hadn't thought about Loki or Thor for a long time now and she was doing okay until recently when Jane mentioned them again.

"Hope you're not wallowing in tears now," Jane joked when she went out of the room.

"Very funny coming from you," she glared and shook her head.

"I'm going to take a bath now," she said in a sing-song voice and Clio rolled her eyes.

"Good for you," she grumbled.

"Oh, I hope you brought something fancy to wear," Jane added stopping outside the bathroom. Clio turned to her with a scowl.

"I think I did, but why?" she questioned and a suspicious feeling rose up to her when Jane grinned like a Cheshire cat.

"We're going to party!"

 **~0~**

The music was already blaring from the sound system when they arrived. Darcy met them outside the bar and told them she got a quick access because her friend was the DJ of the night. Smoke dance around the grinding bodies on the dance floor.

She was laughing with Darcy when a man walked up to them and offered Jane a drink. The said girl stuttered at the sudden attention that made the two of them snickered. And thus began Darcy and Clio's adventure without Jane on the dance floor.

"Ten bucks says Jane would mess this one up tonight," Darcy yelled over the music as they dance to each other.

"Ten bucks says Jane would screw this up on their first date," she yelled and Darcy laughed catching two guys' attention, much to Clio's dismay, and danced with them.

She tried to ignore the one dancing beside her until she felt a hand crept up to her waist. She grabbed it and twisted it. He was much taller than her with dirty-blonde hair and when he smiled, she noticed a crook tooth.

"Woah there, buddy," she threatened and glared at him. She didn't like being touch by anyone she barely knew much less a stranger.

"Playing hard to get, huh, I like it," said the guy who drew closer to her. She could smell the cigarette and beer on his breath and it made her want to gag. Darcy, sensing the tension, pushed him away.

"Beat it, Wimp, you don't want to mess with Tony Stark's daughter," she threatened making Clio's eyes widened at her. The guy hesitated first before barking a laugh. It sounded more like a seal and it made her cringed.

"What's a billionaire's little girl doing to a pub like these?" His snarky remarks earned a glare from her and with a swift reflexes, she pushed two of her fingers hard on his belly button making him double over before she elbowed his shoulder. Before he could fall to the ground, she caught him and smiled at the onlookers who noticed the small commotion. She made it looked like they were just teasing each other.

"Listen here, if a girl says she doesn't like it, it doesn't mean she's playing hard to get. Either you choose your next target wisely or you'll end up waking in the trash," she threatened and snorted; the guy made a whimpering sound before his friend help him walk away as he clutched his stomach.

"Didn't know you got moves there, girl," Darcy blurted when they went back to their table. Clio still felt tensed at what had happened. It was Natasha who taught her that move when she visited Stark Tower last month. She breathed heavily before she drank her beer down. Suddenly, her night was ruined and she needed some air.

"Hey, I need to get some air," she said to Darcy who was chatting with some random guy.

"What? Wait, I'll come with you," Darcy said and motioned to get up. Clio looked for Jane who was already drunk and was making a fool of herself on the dance floor.

"I think we need to go home now," she suggested while pointing at Jane. Darcy followed what she was pointing at before chuckling. She pulled out her phone and captured the moment. "Come on, Darcy," she warned before getting on the dance floor to save her friend.

"Hey!" Jane said in a sing-song voice before putting an arm around her shoulders. "My alien-loving buddy," she cooed and tried to drink another beer but she pulled it away from her.

"No more beer, Jane, it's time to go home," she advised, earning a whine from her fellow scientist before she dragged her out of the club with Darcy towing behind them.

"She'll regret this the next morning," Darcy jeered; a grin was plastered on her face as she replayed the video on her phone.

"You'll regret it more if you didn't help me," she barked already out of breath. Jane was heavy and was putting more of her weight to Clio than to her own feet.

Darcy quickly grabbed Jane's other arm as they walked towards the parking lot where her car was parked. They helped the brown-haired scientist at the backseat before Darcy went over to the driver's seat. She was about to open the passenger seat when a man wearing a suit approached her.

"Are you Clio Stark?" He deadpanned asked; she scowled at him before nodding her head. There was something about him that made her want to back away slowly.

He turned back to where he came from and nodded to a white van. Her eyes widened when two more men came out and headed this way. One man was carrying a gun.

"Darcy, drive!" She screamed as she tried to open the passenger seat but the man caught her wrist and twisted it at her back. She yelped in pain and tried to use her other arm to punch the guy on the head but he caught it and flipped her to the ground. "Darcy, go!"

"What about you?" She frantically shouted back as she heard the engine start.

"At least tell my dad," she shouted back and screamed when the man plunged a syringe on her neck. Her vision started to blur and before darkness took over, she heard the car skidded out of the parking lot.

 **~0~**

She could hear people talking as she went in and out of consciousness; her vision still blurry. Whatever drug they injected in her system was strong.

"She's waking up, sir," she heard someone said. She tried to focus her sight but it was too bright; like a light was directed on her sight.

"We need to give her the second dose before she wakes up," said another man. She tried moving her head to the sound but found she was not able to. There was a strap on her neck and on her torso that unable her to move.

"What second dose?" she asked in a croaked voice; she tried to swallow but found it very hard. Her head felt like she was underwater and the pressure in her ears were getting worst.

"This really is magnificent!" The man in a lab coat wearing an eyeglass exclaimed. "Not only does it fight off any kind of disease but it fastens the elimination of the effect of the muscle relaxant. How many dose of muscle relaxant have we given her?"

"We've given her four doses already, sir," someone replied from her left replied.

Her heart pounded rapidly at that. She should not take any more relaxant, if she did, she wouldn't have any access to her consciousness anymore. She tried to wiggle her body free but was not able to.

"There, there, my little lab rat," she heard someone cooed from her ear. "Your research in this new microorganism is fantastic. I mean to test them to other people first, really but your father is such a dick and I couldn't help myself," he said with humor. She tried to focus her sight and what she found made her gasp in horror. They were back at her lab in Washington and what they were administering to her was the microorganism she was researching.

"It's not complete yet," she warned as she breathed through gritted teeth.

"I know," he sang before laughing. "That's why I tested it on you hoping it would kill you and I'll send your body to your father's front porch."

"You son-of-a-bitch," she seethed and whimpered when she felt a needle plunged into her forearm. She felt the burning of her skin the moment the needle was gone. It was like her body was on fire and she screamed in pain. Her body started convulsing and she thrashed her head back and forth. "Make it stop!" She screamed.

"Oh, it soon will," the man said and before she could answer, she heard a loud explosion and screams.

"They've found us, sir!" the voice from before said. She heard the man cursed and ordered the others to get everything from the lab.

"How did they know where we are already?!" The man seethed.

Clio tried to see whether she was still wearing the bracelet tracker her father gave her and to her relief it was still on her wrist. A laugh bubbled in her throat making the man in a lab coat glare at her.

"Sir, what about her?"

"Leave her, she'll die anyway," he deadpanned then he lowered his face on her ear. "You can laugh whenever you want but it will not last. Your father will see you in your final breath," he threatened before she heard them quickly running away.

She was left there writhing in pain and she screamed when another wave of convulsion hit her system.

"I found her!" She recognized the voice as Steve Rogers. She should have sighed in relief but the pain was so unbearable and she screamed again.

"Clio," she heard her father's voice and she whimpered. "Where are the others?"

"Clint followed them down," she heard Natasha said as she tore the strap on her body.

"Stark, her body temperature is rising," Steve informed them as he tore the strap on her legs. He ran over to the bio-ref and searched for an ice, luckily finding one. He put the ice on her neck and tried to sooth the raging inferno of her body.

"There's…" she tried to say but the pain started crawling in her throat and she sputtered blood from her mouth.

"Clio!" Her father yelled in panic as he clutched her head. She heard him breathing heavily, "No, no, Clio."

"Calm down, Stark. Try to breathe," Steve instructed him as he pulled him away from her.

"The bio-ref… green bottle… 2cc… intravenously," she managed to say and Natasha quickly went to do what she instructed.

"Is this it, Clio?" She asked and she turned her head weakly to see the green bottle and nodded her head.

"2cc… intravenously… slow push…" she muttered and Natasha nodded before doing as she instructed. She heard Steve calming her father down. She closed her eyes when she felt the needle plunge in her arm. A few seconds passed before her body slowed convulsing. A relieved sigh escaped her lips as she felt herself calm.

"Her body temperature is going back to normal," Natasha informed them.

"Clio, talk to me," her father ordered and she tried to focus her eyes on him.

"Daddy," her voice sounded slightly brittle. She was tired from the convulsion her body went through and she needed to sleep but a thought occurred to her and she looked at her father, "How long was I gone?"

"Two days," he answered as he hugged her. "I'm sorry, Little Owl," he whispered; she could only nod as reality sink in.

"They've got away," she heard Clint said who just walked in.

"Dad," she muttered weakly. She looked pale as she rubbed her arm, "I still need to get this out of my system."

"I'll get you to the hospital," he said and tried to carry her but she shook her head.

"No, hospital can't help me," she said and tried to get out of the steel-table she was lying on. With the help of Natasha, she walked over to the bio-ref and searched for another green bottle. There was silence in the room before she broke it, "He managed to administer two doses of the incomplete research in my system," she said; voice visible shaken. "I still haven't found any cure. This one here can only slow down the progress," she said and lift the green bottle.

"What do you mean?" He asked in confusion and she turned back to them with a grim expression.

"I'll only last a month, give or take," she said and bit her lip. It's the truth. She didn't know how the unknown man found out about her research or her laboratory. The only person she had told was Tony, Dr. Schafer and Dr. Harrison, whom she knew was in Norway at the moment. Silence filled the room before Tony cursed out loud. She shut her eyes tight and tried to breathe steadily.

"Dad, do you know them?" she inquired after some time. Tony stared at Steve and the latter shook his head.

"No, I don't," he lied and she knew it but she did not try to pry because darkness started flooding her sight again. She leaned over to Natasha who put her arm around her shoulder. The three men in the room looked at her worriedly.

"Don't worry, it's just a side effect," she assured them before she succumbed into the darkness.

 **~0~**

 **~Tony's POV~**

He walked back and forth from the hospital room Clio was in while Pepper, sitting on the bed next to his daughter, caressed her hair. His girlfriend rushed to the hospital half an hour after he called her to let her know what had happened. He knew how Pepper loves Clio like her own daughter and it must have been killing her from the inside just by watching her lying on the hospital bed.

"First, Happy now it's Clio," lamented Pepper; she didn't try to move from her spot ever since arriving the hospital which was three hours ago.

Tony grumbled incoherently under his breath and wiped his face with his hand, "I won't let anything happen to the both of you."

Pepper stared at him in disbelief; anger rising up, "How can you protect us both when you just broadcast our address in the whole wide world and issued a public threat to the Mandarin?!"

Tony stayed silent, it was a wrong move he knew that but he couldn't help it. Clio didn't know about the attack and he never planned on telling her anything.

"We have to leave Malibu, Tony," she said after some time. She stood up and grabbed his face with her hands, "I can't afford to lose you both."

"You won't lose us," promised Tony but Pepper only sighed and walked away from him.

"It's not safe anymore, Tony!" She argued; fear evident in her eyes and Tony regard her coolly before he sighed. It's time she knew about his plan.

"I know that, Pep. That's why I asked Steve to contact Thor," he admitted and Pepper's eyes widened. "Clio will go to Asgard."

"What?!" Pepper exclaimed earning another sigh from Tony when she started ranting again.

"Honey, listen. I love you and Clio and if something happens to the two of you, I don't know what I would do," he said trying to calm Pepper down. "But trust me on this; I know I have told you that many times now…"

"And you've failed many times," Pepper interjected.

"You're still alive so that doesn't count as failure," he argued.

"Tony," Pepper warned.

"Okay, okay; Honey, just trust me, everything will be fine," he promised and hugged Pepper closed to his chest.

 **~0~**

 **~Clio's POV~**

"Asgard?" she blurted in surprised when she saw Pepper packing her things. She just got out from the hospital and was surprised to see Thor waiting for them at their home in Malibu. "What's happening? I don't understand?"

"Think of it as a vacation, Sweetcheeks," Tony said not bothering to turn around as he put all the needed gadgets and books (and weapon, which he sneaked while Pepper wasn't looking) on a briefcase.

"Vacation? I don't need to go on a vacation right now. Just so you know, I need to come up with a cure and I need to find this guy who stole my research. It's still dangerous," she complained and crossed her arms on her chest. She was upset; didn't Tony take her seriously when she told them she would only last for a month?

"Sweetie, I know it's all sudden…" Pepper tried to rub her arms but she backed away.

"It's more than that; you guys are not taking me seriously, are you?" She accused glaring both at her and Tony who stopped packing and was looking at her with confusion. "I told you, I only got a month or two to live. And if I don't find any cure, you might as well write your eulogies. Or you've already written them, have you?" she spat.

Pepper looked aghast while Tony stared at her in disbelief, "Isabella!" barked Tony. Her eyes turned to his and she suddenly regretted what she said. It was a rare occasion that he called her by her second name; usually when he was mad at her or he was scolding her. "You don't understand that the point of all these is for you to get better."

Her eyes started to water, "I just want to spend my limited days with you and not in Asgard."

Thor then spoke up, having been in awkward situation already long enough, "Little one, you misunderstood your father. The reason why you are going to Asgard is for our healer to check on your health. Asgard prided herself with advance technology in regards of medicines. That is why your father seeks for my help."

She stared at Thor in surprise.

"And you're not dying, little Owl, I'll be damn if I let that happen to you," Tony spoke gently and opened his arms for her. She went up to the both of them and hugged them.

"I'm sorry for bursting," she muttered on Tony's chest.

"It'll be fine, Sweetie," Pepper comforted and kissed her head.

"Don't worry about your research. I'll get them back no matter what," Tony promised.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hey! So I just want to say thank you to everyone who read this story. I know I lack in some areas in writing. It's been almost two years since I've wrote a fanfic again. I easily get writers block and everything. But thank you to everyone especially to those who had the time to review it. I very much appreciated it!

Anyways, I'll be slow in updating the next chapters since my laptop just broke. But please bare with me guys!

 **Black Moons Daughter:** it made me cry writing it also. I have a hard time writing both of their emotions. But glad you liked it

 **brightgrays:** Hello! I hope you enjoyed this one!

 **M:** I have so many plans for Peter in the future so stay tuned!


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Marvel Characters. I only own my OC's**

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

 **Asgard**

She gazed in wonder the moment her foot settled from their odd journey to Asgard. It wasn't like how Loki transported himself. She was waving good bye from Tony and Pepper when colorful light had descended upon them and engulfed them. In all honesty, she thought they would be traveling through a spaceship or something. She had clung to Thor for her dear life as they were transported faster than light. She saw the beauty of the universe as they passed by. The next thing she knew, her foot was already stepping on golden flooring. Her bags were already on the floor when they landed. A grin was plastered on her face.

"Wow," she muttered as her eyes took everything in. Never had she seen a place filled with gold and wonder.

"Welcome to Asgard, my Lady," a man clad in golden armor greeted them. He was clutching a sword that was embedded into something like a podium.

"Lady Clio, I would like you to meet our gatekeeper, Heimdall, and also my dearest friend," Thor introduced as the said man walked down from the device and offered his hand.

"Please just call me Clio," she offered and the gatekeeper smiled at her kindly.

"I hope you enjoy your stay here in Asgard, Lady Clio," he said politely and earning a grunt at the added honorifics. He gave her a grin at the annoyance on her face.

"Let's go now, Little One. My mother, the queen, is already waiting for us," Thor said as he carried her bags. There were two horses waiting for them outside. Her eyes widened at the sight of the magnificent horses. "Do you ride, my Lady?" He asked while he tied her bags at each horse's back when he saw the excitement dancing in her eyes.

She shook her head. "No, I haven't," she admitted. "But I always wanted to ride one."

"Do not fear, Little One, for these horses were trained properly," he assured as he pulled the rein of the white horse to hers, "This one is named Armelia, my mother's horse."

She raised her hand hesitantly as the horse stomped her hooves. Automatically, her feet took a step back with a gasp but Thor put a hand on her back and gently pushed her forward. A wide smile spread across her face when the horse moved her head forward and nuzzled her hand.

"She seems to like you," Thor commented as her hand traveled from the horse's mane to her neck. "Not many have gained Armelia's favor."

"What do you mean?" She asked, not looking at him as she busied herself with the horse jubilantly. Ever since she was a child, she wanted to have a horse. There was a funny story behind that. She pestered Tony to buy her one when she was ten years old and the latter unwillingly agreed to it. A week later, when she got home from school her dad announced she have a present waiting for her at their backyard. Knowing it was her wish, she hugged Tony tight and excitedly run outside only to be greeted by a scary looking mechanical horse. Her father told her it was much safer than the real horse but the disappointment was so heavy that she locked herself in the bathroom and cried for hours. Tony made several attempts to get her out but it was Pepper's soothing voice that got her to come out. Pepper took her to a horse farm to Tony's dismay but the latter went with them to assure of her safety. She had forgiven her dad for that but did not bother to try and play with the horse.

"Well, for the record, you're the first stranger she never kicked or bit," Thor joked making Clio backed away suddenly in fear of what he said.

He gave a thunderous laugh before he lifted her up on to the back of the horse. Without letting go of the rein of Armelia, he lifted himself to his own horse and galloped slowly along the colorful bridge. Her hand kept on grazing the soft mane of the horse as they walked in silence for a while before she decided to break it.

"What do you call this bridge? It's very beautiful," she complimented as she gazed at the endless color flowing through the bridge like a blood to its veins.

"It's called the Bifrost, Little One," he informed her and proceeded in telling her tale of the olds. She tried to listen to his stories, commenting if needed but her mind was elsewhere. Her mind pondered to a certain someone who she haven't seen for a year now; someone who held a part of her heart, someone who her heart yearned to see despite her mind's protest. Did he know she was coming?

"I can sense something is deep within your thoughts, Little One, you only have to ask," Thor nudged her horse gaining back her attention. A blush crept onto her face when she realized he saw her spacing in the middle of his story telling.

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry, Thor. I was just thinking of something," she apologized and tried to hide her face by looking elsewhere.

"You mean thinking of someone?" Thor teased making the blush on her face deepened. "I told you, you only have to ask."

She sighed and peered back at him with her gray eyes. Thor was grinning at her teasingly before nodding for her to go on. "How is he?" She asked after some time.

"He is doing well," he answered; knowing fully who she was talking about. "When we returned home from Earth, I have told my father, the king, about his confessions. Odin thought about it thoroughly before he made a decision; Loki's punishment was to be sent to Vanaheim and give his aid on the conflicting war he started. If he ever failed to stop this, he will be cast out of Asgard forever."

"That's a harsh decision for a father to make!" She exclaimed. She thought of Tony and was thankful enough she ended up having a loving and respectable father despite his stubbornness and quirkiness that annoyed the heck out of her and Pepper and sometimes Rhodey.

"Do not fret, Little One, for the Vanaheim War is already ending and Asgard forces are on the winning side," he said and proudly smiled at her.

She gazed at the glistening city ahead. "So, he's not here?" she asked.

"No, he is not," he said simply and she sighed; she didn't know whether it was a sigh of relief or of disappointment. Her eyes gazed back to the city as they neared it. It was beautiful from afar and now it was breathtaking from up close.

"I don't have enough word to describe your home, Thor," she complimented earning a chuckle from the God.

"I am delighted that you have taken a liking on Asgard," he said and gazed at his home. "I always wondered if Jane would have liked it too."

She turned her head quickly to him, "Of course she would!" She blurted and blushed when the God raised an eyebrow at her sudden outburst. "I mean, knowing Jane she would have liked it here so much."

"Maybe," he said in a somber voice. Clio stared at him in sympathy as he gazed at the bridge with somber expression.

"Why didn't you visit Jane when you were in New York?" she asked after some time. "She said you promised you'd come back."

"It is not that I have never tried visiting her, in fact, I did but she does not know that. I tried to protect her from my world by staying away from her," he confessed and gave her a smile that did not reached his blue eyes.

"For what is worth, Jane's been waiting and crying for you," she confessed sadly; Thor nodded in understanding.

"And I mourn the distance between us, too, my Lady," he confessed. "It is a bit more complicated as to why I have to distance myself from her."

They have already entered the city and Clio's eyes watched in fascination as she took all in.

"This, my Lady, is the market," Thor informed her.

She saw one shop that sells different kinds of what seems to be like fruit; some sells meat and other sells fishes. There were also vendors that sell different kinds of clothing and jewelries. It was just like from Earth only everyone was clad in dresses and tunics.

"I would someday take you here to the market, Lady Clio but for now our main priority is your health," Thor said as they stopped by the gates of the castle.

Thor jumped off from his horse and made to help her get down too. She then saw an Asgardian women approached them, clad in a golden gown, her brown hair piled up beautifully at the top of her head. She glided to them with grace and poise that Clio suddenly felt insecure of how she moved. She was the very word Elegant and Grace that she couldn't help but gawked at her kind features.

"Little One, I would like you to meet Queen Frigga, my mother," Thor introduced when the queen stopped in front of them; Clio blushed and bowed quickly. She had been gawking at her that she couldn't help but cringed at her stupidity in front of the queen.

"Oh, dear! There is no need for you to bow," she said; even her voice sounded like a beautiful choir. A hand touched her shoulder as she lifter her head to meet the queen. "My, what beautiful eyes you have."

"Thank you," she muttered and the queen chuckled, a sound like a wind chime.

"Mother, this is Clio Stark, the one I've been telling you about," Thor said and Frigga's smile widened. She shouldn't be comparing her smile to a sun but she couldn't help the metaphor inside her head.

The queen wrapped an arm around her shoulder, "It is nice to finally meet you, my dear Clio. I heard so much about you from my two sons."

Clio automatically glanced at Thor who grinned at her and winked. "I hope it was a good one," she said shyly at the queen.

"Oh, it is!" she exclaimed as she led them to the palace. "I have heard about your sickness, my dear. Do not fret for our healers will try their very best to keep you healthy."

"That's very reassuring," she said with a smile. "Thank you so much."

"Now, let's get you to your room for you to settle in. Tomorrow, I will take you to the healing chambers. I know you're tired from your journey, you take your rest and later my handmaiden will pick you up for supper," the queen informed her and she shook her head.

"I actually don't have the appetite yet, my Queen," she confessed. "It must be the microorganism trying to suppress my hunger."

She looked intently at her, eyes full of concern and she touched her face gingerly. "At least try to put something inside your stomach, Little One," she advised then turned to Thor. "My son, is this her natural color?"

"No, Mother, she looks rather pale," Thor informed and Frigga nodded and led her to a swing. "This is the royal swing where my two sons resides," she announced before they stopped in front of a tall, mahogany door and opened in. "This will be your room and over there is my two sons' room at the end of the hall," she informed, pointing at the two doors at the right corner of her room.

Clio's eyes lingered at the doors for a while before Frigga gently pulled her inside her room. Her room was colored apricot consisted of a queen sized bed, two dresser in each of its side, a desk near the balcony and a walked in closet next to a door which she was assuming was the bathroom. There was also a fireplace, in front of a comfy chair and a small table. All in all, the entire place was the same size of her bedroom in Malibu but had the elegance of a Victorian era and she took it all in quiet admiration.

She saw Thor put down her luggage at the foot of her bed before turning to them both, "It is unwise for a gentleman to stay inside a lady's room for so long, so I bid you two farewell," he announced and glanced at her, "and hopefully to see you at supper."

Frigga smiled proudly at her son and nodded. Once Thor closed the door to her chambers, Frigga turned to her and smiled politely, "Now, I've prepared the dresses you're going to wear in your stay here in Asgard."

"D-Dresses?" she asked uncertainly as Frigga walked over and opened the closet and she gasped at the number of dresses inside. Her stay in Asgard will surely be something.

 **~0~**

After dinner and her introduction to Odin, the king of Asgard, Frigga accompanied her to her room so she can rest. She forced herself to eat out of respect to both the king and queen. Once she was inside her room, she decided to take a bath to relax her tensed muscles. It was a long day after all. She decided to read on her bed but her mind kept on going back to a certain god. Would she ever see him in her stay here in Asgard? There were times she regretted giving back the necklace. It became a part of her already and she missed it. She missed him. Closing the book, she decided to just sleep instead of thinking about it.

She was woken up by an excruciating pain in her body. Her hand reached out from her nightstand hoping to get the green bottle but then remembered that she left it on her bathroom sink. It was like she was on fire and she tried to scream for help but her lungs was gasping for air. She could already feel her lungs constricting and her vision was getting blurry.

Then she remembered that Thor's room was beside her own. With all the remaining strength she got, she pounded hard on the wall behind her hoping the God of Thunder would hear her. But after pounding many times, no Thor arrived in her room.

She could already feel her consciousness waning and she stood up only to fall off the bed. Her hand reached out and tried to crawl to the bathroom. She tried to stand up again by reaching up to the second dresser next to the bathroom but her hand slipped making the content on the table, which was a glass of water and the picture frame of her and Tony fall off with her; the sound of shattering glass vibrated around the room. Shards were embedded to her skin from her fall to the broken glass and she could feel blood pooling from the wound. Tears were pooling in her eyes. She could die any time now and no one was there to help her.

Before she succumbed to the darkness, she heard the door banged open and the shuffling of feet. She heard Thor's voice from the background and felt herself being lifted up.

She closed her eyes tight. There was a loud ringing in her ears but she swore she heard her father's voice calling her name:

' _Clio,'_

' _Clio,'_ then Pepper's voice, the ringing in her ear getting louder and louder.

' _Clio,'_ Natasha's, _'Clio,'_ Happy's, _'Clio,'_ Rhodey's, _'Clio,'_ Jane's, _'Clio,'_ Darcy's then she heard Loki's.

' _Breathe, mortal,'_ she heard him ordered. _'You're not dying tonight.'_ When she heard his voice, the constriction on her lungs relaxed and felt she could properly breathe again.

Then the ringing stopped abruptly. The pain she was feeling awhile ago vanished.

She could hear a beeping sound and a lot of shuffling in the background like there were people going back and forth. For the first time ever since her attacks, she found herself drifting to a peaceful sleep.

 **~Frigga~**

"It's like a virus, my Queen, a very rare one," the healer explained. Ever since Thor reported what happened, the queen stayed by their guest's side. She was worried for the girl.

"The virus that was injected to her system coated the neutrophils, eosinophils and basophils in her blood instead of being ingested by said immune cells. That's why she was feeling a lot of pain and a sudden constriction in her lungs is due to the lack of oxygen."

"The antidote she was taking only slowed the progress," continued the voice and then a pause as if contemplating her words.

"What is it, Healer Hilda?" Frigga prodded sensing the healer's hesitance. "Is there something else you want to say in regards of my guest's health?"

"It is just a theory, your Ladyship," the woman whom the queen called Healer Hilda confided. "I think the virus is making each cell in her body triple its power."

"What do you mean?" Frigga inquired.

"Since the cells triple its power, diseases will be likely extinguished inside her body," the healer explained.

"Is not that wonderful news?" Frigga asked.

"I do not know yet, my lady. But have you asked her where she got this from?"

"Thor told me an assailant forced it in her," Frigga answered. "Why?"

"I got samples of her blood and tested it under the microscope," she said then moved to Frigga to show her a book which has a picture of a white and black that looked like a reptilian humanoid. "I found this."

"A _Xheloria_?" Frigga blurted out and stared at the healer in shock. "That's impossible."

"I thought the same thing, too, my lady but the one injected to her was of small amount. Whether it will multiply inside her or not, I do not know. That also means the probability that she will die is small but still a possibility. This is but a theory, my lady."

"But Xhelorian species are known for their violent nature and it can corrupt the mind of their host," Frigga said.

The healer nodded grimly. "There are two types of Xhelorian, the pure one and the corrupted one. The corrupted Xhelorian fed itself by their host's vile nature and their bloodlust are unlimited while the pure Xhelorian are subtle that have the power of foresight but can be easily corrupted and turn into the corrupted one. Both are said to be violent and the host lost its will to their bodies. They also have the ability to physically reincorporate damaged or destroyed cellular matter at a rapid pace."

"Do you happen to know which type of Xhelorian specie is inside her?"

"That I do not know of, My Lady, but we need to keep her out of distress to not cause any of its violent nature."

"Then we should not tell her of what is inside her until we confirmed it," Frigga ordered and the healer nodded.

After dismissing the healer, she went over next to her and caressed her hair. She sighed in sympathy and stared at the girl on the healing bed. This was the girl who saved his son from his own darkness. If it wasn't for her, Loki would be long gone.

When both of her sons arrived back and explained everything, she was filled with sorrow for her youngest. She had a vision once about Loki's demise at the hand of a powerful being. She had seen it and relayed it to Odin. The latter, secretly, send troops to hunt down this being despite the warnings of Loki. If her vision was right, then this girl would be the one to save Loki again.

 **~Clio~**

Her eyes fluttered slowly and focused her sight on the ceiling. Everything was dark save for the little light on the table besides the bed she was lying on. Sitting up, she noticed she was somewhere that looked like the infirmary. She remembered waking up feeling the burning pain inside her body and the sudden lack of air. She thought she was going to die then she heard Thor's voice.

"You're awake," she jumped slightly at the voice that spoke. She turned around and saw Frigga smiling in relief at her as she walked over to her bed. "How do you feel, my dear?"

"My Queen," she greeted then blushed. "Have you been here this whole time?"

"Of course," the queen said then chuckled. "Do not worry about it. I do not mind guarding you until you awake."

"Thank you," she muttered then took a look around. "Where am I?"

"You're at the healing chambers," Frigga said as she sat next to her. "You gave us all a worry."

"I'm sorry," she muttered.

"Don't be. You are sick," the queen said and tuck a hair behind her ear. "You must be famished?"

Clio shook her head. "I'm not," she interjected but the queen did not hear her instead called one of the guards stationed outside.

"Can you tell the cook to bring food here? And on your way, can you call for Healer Hilda? Tell her the patient is awake." The Einherjar bowed before doing his job.

"You were lucky Thor was around," Frigga said once the Einherjar was nowhere to be seen.

At the mention of her friend, she looked up at the queen. "Where is he?"

"He would have stayed longer too had he not have business in Vanaheim," Frigga explained and Clio nodded. After a while, a lady wearing a white tunic dress topped with a coat entered.

"Clio, I would like to introduce you to Healer Hilda," the queen introduced. The said healer bowed her head in greetings.

"Hello," Clio greeted back. Hilda worked at once and started looking over her charts. Clio tried her best to cope up as she explained.

"Your theory about dying will not come up anymore," Hilda informed her and Clio raised an eyebrow urging her to go on. "Your cells tripled their power especially your immune cells. When this happens, your body also adapts to it."

"But how come the rat died when I conducted experiment to it?" Clio asked.

"The rat?" Hilda repeated and Clio nodded.

"This thing inside me was supposed to be my research. The last rat I injected this with only last a week before it died," Clio pondered scowling on the floor as she tried to come up with a new theory inside her head. "How can that be that I'm still alive?"

"I am guessing the antidote that you made turned the virus into its non-lethal form," Hilda suggested.

She shook her head, "The rat that I tested died still when I administered the antidote. Though, it stayed alive for a week so I thought that it only slowed down the dying process."

Healer Hilda thought for a moment, "It must have something to do with the physiology."

"It's possible," Clio agreed. "Or maybe I'm still alive because Thor took me quickly to you," Clio said making the healer scowl at her in confusion. "I mean, I've tested a lot of rats and the timing of their deaths was all unpredictable. They can last three days up to a week."

"Your point is?"

"My point is, you managed to give me enough oxygen for my body to take while as the rats, we never managed to do it. Only in autopsies did I see that they all died with asphyxia. Now that I think about, we ruled that one out," she groaned the last sentence. "Uh, I need to get back to my lab."

"You will not do such thing. You are still a patient and you need to rest," the healer reprimanded making Clio shut up. "Now, that your immunity cells are triple times stronger, I am concluding that it could also lessen your aging process. If this is true, then you could live for another hundreds of years," Healer Hilda pondered at that. Clio's eyes snapped back to the older Asgardian healer.

"What?" She stuttered and the healer smiled at her, putting a hand over her forehead.

"It is but a theory, my Lady," she told her. "But I must ask where did you get this microorganism?"

Clio stared at the healer for a moment before sighing. "My team found it near a meteor crater in Arizona. I was still new to the company that time and my former supervisor gave it to me to conduct tests."

Healer Hilda nodded her head. Clio felt there was something more about. "Why did you ask?"

"It is a rare microorganism. I find it really intriguing," the healer said. "Alas! You should go back and rest," she said and helped her lie back down on the bed. She waved a hand on top of her head as orange aura emitted from the movement. Suddenly, her eyelids were heavy and with grunt of protest, she closed her eyes and let sleep take her in.

 **~0~**

It had been three days ever since the incident and Clio would occasionally had another round of attack that Frigga suggested she sleep in the healing chambers for the mean time. But unlike the attacks from before, the constriction of her airway lessened and she had no trouble in moving around. With the help of Hilda, they had managed to upgrade the antidote. In all honesty, she felt fine, even better. There were times that she felt something weird was going on like that one time when she thought she heard someone called out her name at the balcony but when she got there, no one was in sight. She concluded it as hallucination and may be the side effect of the antidote.

Healer Hilda would conduct tests on her here and there. She had commented how her body progressed alongside with the virus. She occasionally helped the healer with their test and had gain more knowledge more than she would on Earth. The healer made an instant liking to her and her intelligence.

"Healer Hilda has told me you are making progress," Frigga commented once when she volunteered in touring her around the palace.

"Yes, Queen Frigga. I can't tell you how thankful I am," Clio replied and smiled at the queen.

"She keeps on complimenting your knowledge and how keen you are to learn more," said the queen.

Clio blushed at the comment, "I hope you don't mind, Your Grace."

"Not at all," Frigga said and grabbed her by the hands, "I would very much like you to stay more here in Asgard. Despite needing you to be rested at all times, Healer Hilda had asked if she could have you as her apprentice."

The comment made her beam at the queen, "I would love to stay here. I mean, there's so much more I have to know," she started blabbering then blushed when she realized it.

"It seems that gaining knowledge makes you happy, my dear," Frigga commented with a smile as they walked again through the castle. They've passed pillars and columns and so did other statues of the great kings from before and paintings of the royal family.

"I must have got it from my dad. He would always say he was cursed with knowledge," she said with a bubble of laughter on her throat. "Thank you so much, Queen Frigga. Thank you so much for having me."

"I should be thanking you, my dear," said the Queen. Clio gave her a confused stare at her statement. "Child, I have heard of your kindness towards my son, Loki, from Thor and not enough words could tell how much I am thankful for you. You shone him light when everything was very dark around him."

Clio bowed her head at the mention of Loki and analyzed the words coming from her, "To be honest, Queen Frigga, even I don't know why despite what he has done," she said and paused, trying to be cautious with her words. "Forgive me, when I say he's quite the jerk I known him to be," she paused and the queen smiled slightly at her word used for her youngest son. "But I knew it in my heart that there is something more to him than his mistake."

Frigga nodded at her in agreement; her eyes glistening with unshed tear for her son, "I am very glad Loki met someone like you."

Clio smiled softly at the queen, "I may not know Loki as much as you do but I know that there's still good within him."

Frigga studied her for a moment assessing her expression and Clio shifted nervously from her gaze. "You love him," she declared.

Clio's face turned a deep shade of red and glanced away, "U-uh, 'love' is too deep of a word, my lady," she started blabbering trying to conceal her blush at the thought of Loki. "I may not have fully forgiven him for what he did to New York but I care for your son deeply," she confessed earning a mischievous grin from the queen that she could swear resembled Loki's.

"Then Loki would be delighted in seeing you tomorrow!" She cheered and chuckled.

She stared at the queen flabbergasted. "Tomorrow?" she sputtered. "What do you mean?"

"The battle in Vanaheim had been victorious and the warriors with my two sons are coming home tonight so my husband, King Odin, will prepare a feast for their victory tomorrow," the Queen rambled not noticing the sudden unease of Clio.

Heaving a deep breath, Clio gave the kind Queen a forced smile, "That's great news!" She chipped in. "I'll help Healer Hilda on her work for her to join the feast."

Frigga scowled at her. "But you are also invited, my dear. Everyone in Asgard is invited."

Clio's eyes widened at the invitation, "Oh, I'm very much flattered, Queen Frigga but I'd rather be in the healing chambers."

"Oh nonsense!" Frigga dismissed her refusal as they started to walk again with her arm hooked on hers. "You are also required to attend, my dear, for my husband would introduce you to our people as Odin's guest."

She stopped in her tracks. "Is that really necessary?" she asked and peaked at the queen.

Frigga gave her a smile and a knowing look before nodding, "My child, I know that you are feeling anxious about seeing Loki but let yourself have fun here in Asgard for a while."

Clio, knowing it was a losing battle against the jubilant queen, sighed. "Can you give me tips on how you party here in Asgard?"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** So I've been asked like three times now whether I'm following the story line of Avengers. Well, the truth is I am following it but did some changes around. I just can't find a suitable place for Clio in Iron Man 3 because we all know that it's focused around Tony Stark so while that was happening, I sent Clio off to Asgard without her knowing what was happening to her family at the moment. And I wanted to give you all a Clio/Loki moment. So who wants to see Loki on the next chapter? Or should I have Tony Stark POV? ;)

 **Black Moons Daughter:** Let's just scream in joy with this chapter, shall we? :D

 **M:** Clio loves you too! And she wanted to thank you for supporting it ever since Chapter 1. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

 **Guest:** Oh wait, there are two Guest who reviewed chapter 8. But the one who reviewed about the timeline, I hope the author's note answered your question. And here it is, the next chapter. I hope you find it more interesting :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Marvel Franchise. I only own my OC.**

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

 **New Friends**

That afternoon, Clio sat atop of the healing bed while she watched Healer Hilda waved her hands numerous times in the air. After a while, a hologram of what looked like the circulation of her body was shown.

It was like seeing through a microscope but even better. They were currently discussing the condition of her health.

"As you can see, the neutrophils inside your body increases than its normal count," Hilda informed her and Clio nodded.

"While neutrophils are one of the white blood cells that primarily respond to any infection, too much of it can lead to certain diseases," she replied as she studied the red blood cells. She pointed at the white substance on the hologram, "See here, my platelet did not increase its number. With my WBC and RBC already having a large number, if my platelets ever joined the party it could be very dangerous. It can cause blood clotting and could rupture my veins leading to stroke."

"Very keen observation," Hilda complimented and waved her hand to zoom in on one of the cells. "But in your case, having the microorganism and the antidote in your system makes a complexity. You can see the platelet moving fluidly despite being surrounded with others. But here is what I want you to see," Hilda showed her another hologram. Clio eyed the hologram intently, "This is your muscle tissue. It seems that the microorganisms are trying to invade it."

"We did not see this coming," Clio muttered as she studied what the hologram was showing them.

"We do not know whether it is a positive sign or not," she said. "Do you feel any pain these past few days?"

Clio shook her head, "It seems that it will invade every molecule inside my body. Healer Hilda, we keep on seeing my blood circulation but we haven't seen what it does with my DNA structure."

Hilda nodded then showed the hologram of her DNA to which she gasped at the structure, "I have told the queen about it and did not know on how to tell you but the microorganism modified your DNA and RNA structure. Whether it is a good sign or not, we do not know yet."

Clio stared at it. It is impossible for any DNA to change its structure but seeing hers now, she did not know what's possible or impossible anymore.

"But do not fear child, because there is still no sign of you perishing," The kind healer assured her.

"But it is changing everything in me. It feels like I'm not human, anymore," she muttered softly. Hilda held her hand and gazed at her with sympathy.

"I am afraid so, child."

 **~0~**

Clio stayed awake the whole night in her chambers. With Hilda's permission, she moved back to her chambers when the attacks lessened but for emergency purposes, she put an antidote on the dresser beside her bed.

She did not know whether to be thankful that she was still alive or be afraid of what was to come in the future. Will she ever be able to live a normal life? How will she go back to Earth knowing she'll live a hundred years and watch all that she loves to die? What will Tony think of her? Will he treat her the same way he did before? She shook her head at the thought. That was stupid. Of course, he will.

She grabbed the phone on her nightstand which she hadn't had the chance to open ever since arriving in Asgard. She scrolled to her gallery smiling at the wacky pictures she and her dad would always take. There was one by the pool with Pepper and Rhodey in it. It was the best summer she had. Pepper was still just Tony's secretary that time but even so, this was her family. This was where she truly belonged and not her in Asgard.

She tossed her sheet off her and sat up. With a sigh, she stood up and walked over to the balcony of her room. Even when everything was dark, Asgard glistened with it glory and beauty. Below her, the garden of Asgard was filled with different kinds of flowers. She wondered whether the garden also held the same flower Loki gave her through the relic.

Grabbing her robes, she exited her chambers and trailed the way to the garden. She passed few _Einherjar_ on the way who greeted her, knowing she was the guest of Thor. She passed a few greetings to them also and asked them the right way to garden. With gratitude, she thanked them and continued to walk to the direction of the garden.

Inhaling deeply, different aromas of flowers greeted her nostrils as she entered the garden. She felt calm at it. It was even prettier up close. The grasses were green and every corner of the garden was blooming with beautiful flowers. Insects that glow from green, blue to purple in the dark flew around the area lighting the dark corners of the garden. A fountain was located at the center of the garden and besides, it laid a bench.

She walked over to it and sat down gazing over the beauty of the garden until she saw it; the flower. She excitedly stood up and rushed to it gazing at its beauty. From afar, it looked like larkspur. The petal was of the color blue and fades to white at the center. Its anthers were colored deep violet almost black at the lack of light in the garden. Her fingers brushed the petal's smoothness as she picked one up. Putting it over her nose, she smelled it and was delighted for its aroma.

She thought of the god she had met at the cave. Her heart started beating rapidly again. Why would the thought of seeing Loki again make her nervous? Was it because he might not want to see her again? Their partings didn't end bad but didn't end well also.

Though, Frigga reassured her that Loki would be delighted to see her. But how sure was she? Before they parted, the Queen asked if she was willing to forgive Loki. Was she? She did not know at the moment. Well, she could forgive but forgetting can be difficult. She spent sleepless nights staring at her ceiling as the anxiety of what had happened in New York play like an old record in her mind. If she did manage to sleep, she would end up screaming and tossing and turning in the middle of the night. She never told anyone except Jane who suggested she see a doctor, and she did. It was two-month long therapy but her nightmares did not come back after that. Now, she was worried if ever she sees Loki again, will the nightmares come back again?

"It is the middle of the night, Lady Clio. Shouldn't you be sleeping at this hour?" She looked up and was startled to see Thor smiling down at her. Besides him were two warriors; one a male and another female.

"You're back," she commented and gave him a sheepish grin, "I couldn't sleep."

"Ah," Thor nodded in understanding then regarded his companions. "My lady, I would like you to meet my friends." Clio stood up as Thor put an arm around the male, "This is Fandral, my lady, a very fine warrior."

The said man flashed a dashing smile and grabbed her hand to kiss it. A blush crept her face at the sudden affection but nevertheless smiled. "A pleasure to meet such lovely Midgardian as yourself, my lady," he complimented and winked at her.

"Don't fall for his tricks," the woman warned and gave her a warm smile. "My name is Sif, my lady." She extended her hand to her which she gladly accepted.

"I am pleased to meet you both," Clio politely said.

"I am, too, my lady," Sif stated earning a grunt from Clio.

"Please, everyone's been calling me 'Lady' or 'My Lady'. I would much prefer if you call me Clio," She almost begged, earning a chuckle from the three.

"Very well, Clio," Sif said and Clio gave her a thankful smile. "How do you find Asgard so far?"

Clio's eyes glistened with wonder, "Well, to tell you the truth, I am much enamored with this place."

"I am glad to hear that," Sif said with a nod. "Have you been outside the palace?"

She shook her head, "Not yet though I wanted to."

Fandral stepped in and flashed a smile, "Let me do the honor of touring you around, my lady! I will show you the finest treat Asgard has to give!"

"Oh, lovely!" Clio commented though unsure if she should be really accepting it. Luckily Sif joined in.

"Do not fear, Clio. I will come along if you want," Sif offered.

"Why, may I ask, will she like you to come when I am already here to guide her?" Fandral asked clearly taken aback by Sif's offering.

"Can you not see how uncomfortable she is with your offer?" she quipped; grinning at Fandral's showing irk before winking at her.

"Uncomfortable?" He sputtered; he turned to her with a perplexed expression that she could not help the chuckle coming out of her. "Surely, my lady, Lady Sif was mistaken, is she not?"

Clio bit her lip before smiling at them, "I think if we all go it would be much fun. The more the merrier, they say."

Sif turned to Fandral with a smug look while the latter only sigh in defeat. "Well, if the lady pleases."

"That would be a brilliant idea!" boomed Thor and clapped Fandral at the back. "Let us all go venture the city with Lady Clio."

"Sounds like a plan," Fandral muttered half-heartedly.

"Do not look so gloomy, my friend," Thor comforted. "We will pride the people of our city with the lady's beauty together." Clio blushed at the compliment.

"I was planning to parade her myself," Fandral muttered but then shook his head. "No matter, as long as Lady Clio enjoys our venture then it is okay with me!"

"That is the spirit!" Thor boomed then turned to Clio. "Tomorrow, I will introduce you to my other companions! They will like you, too."

"Thanks," Clio said and smiled at the three of them. "Did you, guys, just arrive?"

"Oh no, we arrived after dinner time, I supposed. The All-father wanted to have a word with us first before sending us off to bed," Sif answered.

"You must be tired," Clio commented and Fandral smiled at her.

"Yes, we are but just seeing your beauty replenishes my energy," he drawled and even though he meant it as a joke, she couldn't help the shiver ran down her spine and she chuckled nervously at him.

Sif, seeing her discomfort, nudges Fandral's side. "Well, it's getting late. We should be on our way, right, Fandral?"Sif mused.

"Oh, surely, Lady Clio would like to be accompanied for a while," Fandral said earning a roll in the eyes from the two ladies and a chuckle from Thor.

"Not from you, surely," Sif jeered back then smiled at Thor and Clio. "Better best be on our way, Thor, Clio," she addressed, bowing slightly at the two before grabbing Fandral from the arm and dragging him out of the garden.

"Shall I accompany you back to your room?" Thor asked and she nodded. As they walked back inside, she twirled the flower between her fingers and smiled softly at it.

"I see you have found the Elvenmist," Thor commented and Clio grinned at him. "It is nice that you have the chance to see it. It only blooms once."

"It's very beautiful," she said as she put the flower on the pocket of her robes. "I never thought I'd see it in my stay here."

"If you want, you can ask the servants to pick them up for you in the morning so you can have it inside your chambers," Thor suggested.

"Will that be okay?" she asked and Thor nodded.

"My mother told me that Healer Hilda wanted to take you as her apprentice," Thor stated to which the lady in question nodded.

"I've thought about it and well, it wouldn't hurt to try," Clio said and Thor smiled approvingly.

"That's very good to hear," Thor commented then stopped abruptly and looked at her with a serious expression.

"What?" She asked suddenly worried.

Thor sighed deeply, "My lady, I have been to Midgard before I traveled to Vanaheim," he informed.

Clio should have smiled but the seriousness of his tone made her worry. "Is everything okay? Don't tell me Earth was blown up?"

Thor smiled but shook his head, "No, no, that is not the news I wish to tell you. It is about the Man of Iron."

She felt her heart sank at the mention of her father. No good news ever comes with that serious look on Thor's face. "What happened?"

"According to the Righteous One," Thor began then paused. A sigh escapes his lips and smiled. "The Man of Iron was very anxious about your absence that he kept on asking the righteous one to ask me how you are faring."

Clio stared at him for a moment but they had walked into the part of the castle where it is dimmer and thus could not see his face clearly whether he was lying or not. She opened her mouth to ask more but then closed it and gave him a shrug, "Sounds really like him," she said with a fond smile. "Have you seen him on your visit?"

"Unfortunately, no," he answered. "He was in some sort of business, I think."

"Ahh, do you have any news about my attackers?" she asked as they continued to walk down the path of their chambers. It was the first time since coming to Asgard that she thought about it. It remained a mystery to her how they knew about her research. It was a top secret and only her supervisor and Dr. Schafer, who died in Loki's plot, knew about it. Somehow, she thought there was someone from her team that managed to leak that information to the wrong hands.

Thor shook his head, "They are still working on it, I'm afraid."

She sighed and stared up ahead. "It's almost Christmas on Earth. I wish I could be with them."

"You can visit them whenever you want, Little One," Thor informed and she grinned which she knew didn't reach her eyes. "Is something the matter?"

"A while ago, in the healing chambers, Healer Hilda and I discussed further of my health," she began; Thor waited patiently for her to go on. "It seems like everything inside me is changing; like I'm becoming not human. You get what I mean?"

"I," Thor said trying to find the right words; "think I am coping up."

She sighed and shook her head. "It's hard to explain. You know, ever since I was a kid I've always wanted to have a simple life. But it's always hard to have one when your father basically just own the world. Believe me when I say I'm almost used to being kidnap, no matter how weird it sounds," she chuckled making Thor chuckle also. "Dad can be really stubborn and obnoxious sometimes but he has a good heart. He would tear the world apart just to protect me and Pepper."

"I see that you held great admiration towards him," Thor commented and Clio nodded.

"I do and I wanted to keep making him proud. I wanted to thank him by repaying him of what he did to me. He's the only family I got; he and Pepper. If something happened to them I don't know what I would do," she said solemnly.

Thor was silent but she didn't notice it. "But I'm slowly changing," she muttered. "Everything that is left of me being human is slowly changing. I don't know what Dad would think."

"What do you mean?" he finally asked.

Clio stopped her tracks and stared at him, "Do you have a knife?"

"I do, why?" he asked and grabbed a knife from his pocket. He handed it to her and to his shock, she gave herself a cut on her wrist. "What are you doing? Let's get you to the infirmary."

"No, watch," she ordered. Thor scowled at her before watching her wrist. It was bleeding profusely before gel-like substance came out. A gasped was heard from Thor when her wound started sealing up in a quick pace. A few seconds later, her wrist was clean like she never cut it. If it wasn't for the blood that had dried up on her wrist, he would have thought she did not cut it.

"That was fascinating, My Lady," Thor said in awe.

Clio smiled at him sadly, "I haven't told Healer Hilda about it or the queen. But there was one time, when I was walking back to my room, I stepped on my dress and fell down the stairs. I waited for the impact but none came. When I opened my eyes, I was a foot off from the ground. That fall should have broken more bones."

"You levitated?"

"I don't think so. There was a hot pressure from underneath me, like an air-balloon. It was keeping me afloat. When the pressure was gone only then did I fell. You see, Thor, I'm not human anymore. Something is weird going on inside me."

"Do not fear. I am sure Healer Hilda will know what to do once you told her."

"I asked her once if she could take it out of me. There's 80% chance that I'll die if we do an operation. That is risky, Thor. I can't do it," she chuckled without humor. "Gosh, I always imagined myself marrying at the age of 30 when I'm sure to settle down then dying with my husband at the age of 80 but I guess that won't happen any longer."

"That still is possible, Little One," Thor said.

"Yeah but who would want to stay with someone who is basically a mutant?" Clio said. "I don't want to stay young forever and watch my grandchild or their grandchild passes through the dying age. I don't even know if they will inherit this new gene of mine."

"You think too much, Lady Clio," Thor teased. "You can always marry someone who can keep up with your lifespan. Say, someone who is also a god perhaps?"

Clio rolled her eyes, "Stop it, Thor."

Thor laughed and ruffled her hair, "I was just joking; well half-joking."

Clio shook her head at him when a thought occurred to her. "Thor, I never got to tell you how thankful I am that you responded on my call in my first night here," Clio began; she was talking about the night she had an attack. She remembered pounding at the wall behind her bed hoping it was Thor's room and not Loki's for she knew the god of mischief was not there.

"I just got out from a meeting with my father and was about to rest when I heard a crash on your room," Thor answered. "I knock on your door twice and helped myself in when I heard your whimper."

Clio nodded absorbing the information he was telling her. So it was luck that he heard her instead of the pounding on the wall.

"Well, thank you," she said sincerely. "I would have died that night if you didn't rush me to the healing chambers."

"And I am profoundly glad I did," Thor replied and smiled at the small lady besides him.

"I heard about your victory," Clio began and Thor beamed at her proudly.

"Yes, we have won!" He boomed and laughed joyously. "It was a great battle, indeed. My father arranged a banquet. You should come, Little One."

"Well, your mother already harassed me into it," she joked and chuckled a little. She stopped when Thor's eyes widened at her words. "No, no it's not what you think. It's a joke from Earth. Your mother did no such things. And yes! I'll be attending tomorrow, I mean later, so," she blabbered and sighed when they were in front of her door. "I'll be seeing you."

"Have a fair dream, my lady," Thor smiled and bowed before resuming his walk to his room.

She cringed at her epic moment and opened the door to her chamber. She still got few hours to sleep and she would make the most out of it. Sighing, she walked over to her four-poster bed but stopped abruptly at the shadow looming over her bed post.

Heart beating wildly on her chest, she felt the world stopped as the shadow turned over to her slowly. The familiar green hues met her gray ones in the dark.

"We meet again, mortal."

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Heey! I hope you enjoyed this one. I'm starting to miss Loki so I gave a little sneak peak on what would happen on the next chapter. Does anyone also miss Tony? I miss writing him. Let me know what you guys think or what should I include next! I just realized, this chapter is short compared to the others. Well, I couldn't think of any events so I hope you enjoyed nonetheless!

 **Black Moons Daughter:** The feast will be on to the next chapter, I promise! Stay tuned!

 **GuestLoki:** I miss Loki too :(

 **Guest:** Well, here it is! I'm glad you liked it!

 **darkangelynn5:** Can't wait to know what you think about this chapter!

 **Guest 1:** So, Loki showed up in the last part. That counts right? ehehehe


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Marvel Franchise. I only own my OC.**

 **Author's Note:** Please read this one while listening to The Night We Met by Lord Huron. I don't know why but that inspired me to write this chapter and in my opinion, the rhythm suits the mood :D

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

 **The Ball**

Her breath hitched up to her throat as she and Loki stared at each other for what seemed like forever. A lump in her throat formed for she could not fathom any words at the moment. She was too startled to even make a move. Her eyes had already long adjusted from the dark and she could see the familiar built of the man who once invaded her home. His hair had grown a little longer than before; his cheekbone structure was still the same. Despite the absence of the dark circles under his eyes, he was still the same; grown a bit of muscle from the war he had faced.

Getting tired of the silence, Loki walked over to her slowly. Automatically, her body moved backward. Sensing her hesitation, Loki stopped a meter from her and searched her face.

"I heard of what transpired from Midgard that made you travel here in Asgard," he said; the familiar cool voice echoed in her ear.

Releasing the breath she was not aware she was holding in, she composed herself and nodded. "I had to undergo therapy here."

Loki nodded and looked down at his feet. "How is it going?" he asked; Clio stared at him for a moment before realizing it was her health he was asking.

"I'm not dying if that's what you were asking," she stated. "What are you doing here?" she asked. She never meant for it to come out harshly but seeing the god's face, she suddenly regretted it.

Loki was slightly taken aback by her question but then composed his posture and cleared his throat, "I had to see if what Thor was saying is true."

"Well, here I am; very much true to your eyes," she stated a little nervous. She was not prepared for this moment. It took everything from her to keep running outside.

Loki took a step forward and Clio tried not to take a step back. He kept on walking until he was only centimeters away from her. "Are you afraid of me?"

"No," she answered quickly. Her heart was hammering inside her chest as she gazed back at the god whom she thought she would never see again. It was aching for him. How she missed him so. She clutched her pocket which held the flower.

"You have not forgiven me yet," he muttered after a while. It was not a question but a fact.

"It's not that easy," she answered back as she glanced down at her feet. The atmosphere turned awkward as they both gazed anywhere but each other. "When did you arrive?" she said trying to lighten the mood.

"An hour ago," he answered. He sighed and retracted something from his pocket. Her eyes widened when he presented the flower that was the same inside her pocket. "I saw one on our way to the palace a while ago. I didn't think you would actually be here," he explained and offered it to her. She hesitated before she decided to grab the flower that was in her pocket and presented it to him also.

Loki was surprised but then a small smile graced his lips. "Elvenmist," he muttered as he gazed at the small flower on her palm. "It is their blooming season. Did you like it?" It was a question that surprised her. Of course she liked it. This one reminded her of their little time on that cliff.

Clio smiled softly at him as she grabbed the flower from his hand and putting the two together. "I love it. Thank you," she muttered as she gazed at it before gazing back at the god. Her smile dropping as she cleared her throat. "You know, I heard from Thor that it is unethical for an Asgardian male to stay long in a lady's chamber," she joked lightly.

"Well, I am not Asgardian," he stated earning a scowl from her. She gasped when his cold hand caressed her face. She bit her lip making his eyes travel to it. She pressed her face on his hand as they both gazed at each other.

"Loki," she said softly as she could feel her heart started hammering in her chest. She felt her cheeks getting warmer. Despite his cool hand, she felt her body warmed at the contact. Her breath labored as he inched his way towards her. Her hand reached out to his that was caressing her face as they both looked into each other's eyes. As if getting out of a trance, Loki retracted his hand from her face and took a step back.

"You should not stay here," he stated in a cold voice after some time. Her mind was a whirl from what had just happened when he said those words.

"What?" She asked; not sure she heard it right.

"You should go back to Midgard. A mortal like you don't belong here," he said. Her heart clenched at his words that it was almost hard to breathe.

She heaved a deep sigh to composed herself. "It is not your call of when I should get back to Earth," she muttered trying not to show the pain that she was feeling. "I am now the apprentice of Healer Hilda that's why I am staying here for as long as I want," she said, this time a little bolder.

Loki glared at her and cursed in Old Norse. "Don't be stubborn. You have your own healers in your own realm. You don't belong here in Asgard," he stated as he stared at her coldly, so cold like his Jotun blood. The hurt must have shown in her face for his expression soften just a bit before she too glared at him.

"As you have no place in Earth," she spat hiding the pain through her anger. "But you still went and tried to invade it anyway!"

They glared at each other for what seemed like a long time before Loki took a step back. His face was void of any emotions.

"You are right; it is unwise to be staying in a lady's chamber for so long. Forgive me, my lady," he said in his formal tone. She was taken aback by his sudden retreat that she just stared there gaping at him. He bowed his head slightly and walked out of her chambers.

Clio had to pinch herself to see if it really happened.

 **~0~**

"My dear, have you been awake the whole night?" Frigga asked when she visited her before the banquet. Her handmaidens joined them as they busied themselves in preparing their guest.

The sun was already peaking through the mountains when sleep took over her body. She had missed breakfast and lunch and Frigga was worried that she came up to her chambers only to find her still sleeping.

"I never got much sleep last night, my lady," Clio admitted truthfully. Frigga stared at her with worry over the mirror.

"Have you had another attack?" She asked putting a hand over her forehead. Clio smiled and shook her head.

"I simply just can't sleep. I was thinking of my dad and Pepper last night," she lied and Frigga nodded in understanding.

"Do not worry, little one. You can ask Thor to take you back for a visit any time you would like," Frigga reassured her and she smiled in answer through the mirror. "Let's get you ready for the feast, shall we?"

Frigga signaled one of her handmaidens to open the box she had brought with her. Clio stared at it in curiosity and gasped at the content. It consisted of a silky royal blue off-shoulder long gown. The bodice was embroidered with black threads that formed as flowers over the torso to the straps that complimented the color of the dress so well.

"My lady, it's beautiful," she breathed and Frigga smiled wildly.

"I have made it especially for you," Frigga said and stood up. "Now, I leave you to my handmaidens as I will prepare for the celebration too."

"Thank you, Queen Frigga," she said sincerely and bowed slightly.

Once she took her leave, one of the handmaidens beckoned her to the bathroom.

"My lady, it is time you take a bath now," she said.

Clio nodded and entered the bathroom. She stopped taking her night clothes off when she saw the handmaiden still inside waiting for her.

"Oh," she muttered when she realized what the handmaiden about to do. "You don't have to; I can take a bath myself. You can just wait outside," she said with a blush. The handmaiden nodded and walked outside.

She stripped herself with her clothing and dipped inside the tub. She sighed in relief and closed her eyes. Her mind replayed of what happened between her and Loki.

Frigga was wrong. Loki was not even delighted in the slightest. There was tightness in her chest when she remembered his words. He did not want her here. She seethed quietly. Why should she let his words get to her? She was not here for him. She was here to learn and that's what she'll do. After this apprenticeship, she'll go back to Earth and will never see him ever.

 **~0~**

The banquet hall was already filled with Asgardian who were either chatting with each other or laughing. The moment she stepped foot inside, everyone eyed her whether with admiration or with malice from the noblemen and insecurity and jealousy from the noblewoman, she did not care. She could feel the prickle on the back of her neck as she felt many eyes of the Einherjar and other nobility on her. She did not let it bother her for she was already accustomed with the eyes of the people on Earth. Having Tony Stark as a father, she had already been used to it already. But despite being used to it, she did not like being the center of attraction.

She could see that the royal family was still not around and sighed. The more she stood there the more awkward it gets and the more she thought about the more she regretted coming.

"Hello, again, Lady Clio," someone said from behind her. She turned around and saw Lady Sif grinning at her. She, too, wore a yellow gown but with a warrior's vest on it.

"Lady Sif," she curtsied earning a click of tongue from the warrior lady.

"Sif would be fine, you know," she said as she smiled.

A chuckle bubbled from her chest, "Only if you call me Clio," she replied.

"You got yourself a deal," she said and they burst out chuckling at each other.

"Is this the norm?" Clio asked as Sif linked her arm on hers and they walked towards the room.

"What?" Sif asked her.

"Being stared at cause I'm weird? I get that on Earth, just did not know I'll get it here in Asgard," Clio said with a shrugged.

Sif chuckled lightly. "You'll get used to it but I'll tell you this that you're not weird. I'm being stared at, too, because I'm different," Sif stated earning a scowl from the grey-eyed maiden. "My talent as a warrior were often looked down due to my status as a woman. But thanks to my friends, I am slowly being appreciated though there are those who still looked down on me."

"Well, I think you're amazing," Clio complimented to which made the warrior smiled warmly as they made their way to the other warriors.

"Clio, I would like you to meet the rest of our friends," Sif said pointing to a rather rotund and burly man with auburn hair and beard who was currently munching, "Volstagg, come here and meet Clio."

The man named Volstagg sauntered over to them holding over a tray of food on his hand. He bowed slightly at them. "Hello, my fair lady, my name is Volstagg," he stated and smiled kindly at her.

Clio responded to his smile with her own. "Hello, Volstagg, it is nice to meet you."

Sif then beckoned a rather silent man who had his hair pulled up in a ponytail and wearing all black. "This here is Hugon, Clio. One of the Vanaheim warriors," Sif introduced; the said man bowed his head in greetings.

"Please to meet your acquaintance, my lady," Hogun said; void with any emotion before excusing himself.

Clio stared after him before looking back at Sif. "Don't worry, Hogun is always like that," Sif reassured.

"Hogun is always known for his silence, my lady," Volstagg commented as he chewed. "Alas! There they are!" Volstagg pointed out to the entrance of the hall.

Horns blared at the entrance of the royal family. The first to come was Thor and Loki with their finest garments with Thor wearing red and silver while Loki wore green and gold.

She stiffened when she saw a lady wearing peach and white clung to Loki's arm as they paraded over the people of Asgard with ease. Her locks were blonde and flowed down past her shoulders elegantly. Her eyes were blue and filled with wonder as it gazed around the hall. She smiled at Loki fondly and whispered something to him making the god of mischief chuckle. It was then that she saw the necklace the woman was wearing. It was the same necklace he had given her. It felt like someone punched a hole right through her chest.

"Will you excuse me, Sif," she said and walked back towards the crowd. Sif stared at her worriedly but did not follow. She pushed her way through the crowd muttering her apologies if needed. She heard her name being called by someone but she did not bother to turn around to see who it was. Her feet brought her to the balcony and breathed deeply. Luckily for her, there was no one around at the moment.

Was that why he told her to leave? Was that the reason he told her she did not belong here? Her mind swirled with many thoughts and all she wanted to do right now was to go back to her chambers. But why should it bother her? What is Loki to her anyway? Why did it pain her seeing him with another? Did she really think she was something special to the god?

She could feel tears welling up her eyes at the thought. She shivered slightly when the breeze passed her as she tried to calm down.

"My lady," someone called. She composed herself first before turning to see who it was. She was face to face with Fandral who smiled at her. "I called you a while ago when you passed by but you seemed to not hear me."

"Oh," she realized and smiled at him. "I'm sorry, Fandral, it was suffocating inside and I have to get some air."

"That is okay, my lady. Would you like me to accompany you?" He asked rather hopeful. She thought about it for a moment before nodding. Fandral grinned triumphantly before leaning against the baluster. "So, tell me, my lady. What really is bothering you at the moment?"

Clio stared at him for a moment before sighing, "Maybe I just missed my life on Earth," she half-lied. It's true that she missed Earth and she felt less guilty by saying it. "I miss my family, my friends, and my work."

"I know how it feels, my lady. But you can visit them right?" he asked and she nodded. "If you want, my friends and I can accompany you. I am sure Thor would like it, too."

"Really?" she asked and smiled at him, "Thank you, Fandral."

"A pleasure, my lady, as long as it keeps that beautiful smile on your face," he said in a suave manner.

"Now, I see why many ladies swoon at you, Fandral. You have ways with words," she complimented and they both chuckled.

Soft music started playing inside and they both watched as people gathered in pairs to dance. She wondered if Loki was dancing with his partner right now. She frowned at the thought. The woman was everything that was the opposite of her. Her hair was light while hers were dark like the feathers of a raven. Her eyes shone blue light while hers were dull grey.

"There it is again, the frown," Fandral said standing in front of her blocking her view. He extended his hand to hers. "Come, let us dance that frown away."

Clio's eyes widened and shook her head, "Oh no, please! I am a terrible dancer!"

"Not to me you're not," Fandral said flashing a dashing smile before grabbing her hand and pulling her back inside. "You need not be afraid for I will guide you the whole way."

They went to the center of the hall where the dance was already taking place. Grinning slightly, he placed her hand on his shoulder before his arm landed on her waist pulling her closer. With his other hand holding her hand, they glided across the dance floor. She could feel the stares and glares from the women of the court as they danced along the music. It was a slow dance and even she was surprised how graceful Fandral's moves. No wonder the girls were glaring at them,

"Everyone is staring at us," she whispered at him.

Fandral smiled. "That's because you look very stunning tonight, my lady," he muttered to her ear. The compliment made her gasped that she accidentally stepped on his toe.

"Oh, sorry, Fandral!" She muttered in horror and the said man only laughed boisterously getting the attention of the other dancers. He twirled her as they both swayed to the music.

"Do not hesitate, my lady. Just look at my face and let yourself have fun," he said and she did as he told. Not long before a grin broke out her face as her feet started getting accustomed to the rhythm Fandral had put them to. "That's it. You are getting a hang of it."

She giggled when he twirled her again; her gown following her movement. "You are quite the dancer," he complimented as he winked at her.

"All thanks to you," she replied earning a chuckle from the warrior.

"Hope you don't mind us joining you," they turned and saw Sif and Hugon dancing next to them. Her eyes widened at the silent warrior. "I have managed to get him into dancing with me."

"My friends, it is good to see you!" Fandral cheered and the music changed into something much lively.

"Oh, be ready, Clio!" Sif announced and she scowled at her in confusion. She squeaked slightly when Fandral twirled her towards Hogun. "This music let you change your partners," Sif informed her and chuckled as she and Fandral danced away.

"I'm not a good dancer," she informed Hogun quickly to which the warrior only nodded.

"I am not either, my lady," he confessed as they danced rather ungracefully through the dance floor.

Her eyes widened before chuckling, "Oh gosh, we're doomed!" She said.

She saw Thor dancing with one of the ladies of the court. He caught her stare and winked at her to which she grinned back. Her grin dropped when her eyes landed to Loki who was looking at her as he, too, danced with the lady from before.

Unlike Fandral's graceful twirl, Hogun twirled her rather ungracefully and she landed to Thor.

"Why, hello there, Lady Clio!" He beamed as they danced to the music.

"Hello, Thor," she chuckled at the God's enthusiasm.

"How are you faring with the ball, my lady?" he started as he swayed them through the dance floor. Despite his big size, he knows how to dance gracefully that Clio was rather impressed.

She gave the god a reassuring smile. "I'm fine. Your friends are really nice. I'm quite enjoying it."

"That is good to hear," Thor said and smiled kindly at her.

"May I ask who is the lady Loki came with?" She asked.

"Oh, she is Lady Eira from the court of Vanaheim," Thor said as he gazed to where his brother was dancing. "She would be the proxy of her father for he is quite ill from the battle."

"Oh, she is very beautiful," she said truthfully.

"Yes indeed. A true beauty of Vanaheim," Thor complimented earning a grunt from her. "But you are most beautiful, my lady. Why I imagined every single Asgardian male here has already asked me your name."

Clio blushed and jokingly slapped his shoulder, "Stop lying."

"I am only stating the truth," Thor boomed a laugh. "Well, I'll be seeing you around," Thor said and winked at her with a knowing look. Before Clio could ask what he meant, he twirled her to her next partner rather forcefully.

She landed on the chest of her partner with an 'oof' and a grunt. She looked up to apologize but was met with green eyes.

Her eyes widened as he slithered an arm on her waist and pulled her closer before she could react further; even closer than Fandral did. Not wanting to attract attention, she put her hand on his shoulder as they swirl across the dance floor. She chose to look away and her eyes landed on the lady he was dancing earlier was now dancing with Hogun. She scowled when they were staring at each other fondly rather intimately.

"You look lovely this evening," he complimented making her stare back at him dumbfounded.

"You don't look bad yourself," she stuttered earning a smirk from him which quickly disappeared. He guided her gracefully through the dance floor. "I don't really dance," she informed him when she almost tripped. Luckily, his hold on her was firm.

"I'll catch you," he promised near her ear. She searched his eyes for any emotions but saw none. But he was staring at her intently that her heart pounded rapidly in her chest. "Your eyes really are striking."

"I've been told quite many times now of my eyes that I'm getting tired of hearing it," she admitted with a sigh.

The twirling of the partners was nearing and she didn't know whether to be relieved or be disappointed with their short encounter. It was then that everyone twirled their partners to another but Loki stayed affirm of her.

"You missed the twirl!" She informed as she gazed at him with wide eyes.

"Maybe, I'll miss every single one of it," he said with a very serious tone. Clio stiffened in his arms as they both stared at each other.

"You're very complicated," she whispered.

Loki smirked at her, "You told me that already."

"And I'm going to say it again," she said with a glare. "You should do the twirl the next so you can go back to your lady," she said void with any emotions.

Loki was slightly taken aback, "My lady?"

"Yeah," she said and shrugged. "I mean if she's the reason why you want me to go back to Earth you could have just said so."

Loki stared at her as if she had grown another head, "What are you talking about?"

She huffed and glared at him, "The lady you came with at the ball! She wore the necklace that I returned!" She tried to pull away from him. "That's just low, Loki. What? You couldn't afford to make another one to give it to her?"

He shook his head in disbelief and let go of her waist but did not let go of her hand. He pulled her towards the balcony. She tried to pull her hand away when she noticed the stares everyone was giving them as they make their way towards their location.

Once they were alone did he released her and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Now you tell me I am the complicated one," he stated as he raised an eyebrow at her.

"What?" She asked and Loki glared at her.

"Lady Eira is a visitor here in Asgard and I was assigned to accompany her here," Loki explained.

"Then why is she wearing my necklace?" She asked haughtily.

Loki sighed and pulled something from his pocket, "You mean this necklace?" The necklace she had returned was dangling from his hand. She scowled at it before staring at him in confusion. "It may look the same from afar but it is not. It is a different flower and it is a flower from Vanaheim whilst this one is from of Asgard."

Heat prickled her cheeks as she felt the embarrassment of her false accusation. "How can you assume she was my lady? When you seemed to be having much fun having your body closer to Fandral," he commented making her stare back at him.

"What?" she asked stupidly. "Fandral is just a friend and he was just being nice!"

"Nice," he repeated. "Does Fandral share your thoughts with nice?" he asked maliciously.

She stared at him in a confused manner, "What are you talking about?"

"Does it excite you to have him pull you like this?" he whispered in her ear and pulled her waist closer to his body. Her hands automatically went up to his chest.

"Are you crazy?" She asked bewildered and pulled away from him. "Stop being complicated! You were just telling me to go back home last night and now you're jealous of Fandral?"

Loki scoffed and crossed his arms from his chest again, "Jealous? Why would I be jealous of that oaf?"

She rolled her eyes, "I can't take this," she muttered and walked back to the banquet.

"What do you mean you can't take this?" Loki asked following her.

She stopped when she saw the approaching King and Queen of Asgard all clad in gold. She had met Odin before and was polite and respectful towards her but they had never engaged in a full conversation. She met the queen's eyes and they both smiled at each other. She whispered something to her husband and the pair waltzed their way to them.

"My dear! You looked lovely, is she not, my king?" Frigga greeted as she smiled in satisfaction.

"A fair evening to you, child," Odin stated and Clio bowed her head in respect.

Frigga turned to her son with a warm smile, "Hello, darling."

Loki only bowed in response to Frigga but she wasn't sure he did Odin the same. Odin stared at his son with cold eyes and the latter did too. There was uncertainty in the air as she and Frigga turned to look at each other. Frigga put a hand on her beloved's chest and Clio bumped Loki's shoulder making the latter turn to look at her.

"A fair evening to you too, King Odin, Queen Frigga; thank you for inviting me to the ball," she said politely trying to ease the tension between the two.

"Yes, well, my wife has been very fond of you," he started and gazed lovingly at his wife before brandishing the two of them a cold stare to which surprised Clio very much, "She even stated she found a daughter in you."

"I am honored, King Odin," she replied.

"I see you two are quite getting along well," Queen Frigga commented giving her and Loki a look.

"Do not put pressure on their shoulders, my wife," Odin reprimanded softly and pulled her gently. "Dinner will be served any moments now."

"Loki, be a dear and show her the way," Frigga said to her son who only nodded in response.

They watched as the two royalties engaged in a conversation with one of the high courts.

"I guess you are stuck with me throughout this evening," Loki smirked earning a grunt from her.

"What was that all about?" she asked; talking about the tension between them. "That was so cold."

"I do not know of what you talk about," Loki answered as he walked towards the banquet, Clio following suit.

"I'm talking about you're the rift between you and your father," she started. Loki stopped in his tracks and turned to glare at her.

"He is not my father," he hissed at her. Clio stared at him with a loss for words.

"Are you still angry at him?" she asked after some time. Loki sighed and closed his eyes. She suddenly felt guilty for asking. Of course, it was not that easy for him as it was not easy for her to forgive him yet. She walked towards him and put a hand on his and squeezed it gently. "I'm sorry," she apologized and smiled at him.

He looked at her quite surprised by her words and action. "For what?" he asked.

"For asking," she answered then gave a squeak when he gently pulled her closer to him. "What are you doing?" she stammered.

"You were in the way," he pointed out. She turned around and saw the others passing by to where she was blocking it a while ago. "Come, let us eat. You must be famished. You did not show up at breakfast."

"I'm not hungry," she said stubbornly trying to hide her embarrassment. It was then a growling sound was emitted from her stomach that made Loki raised his eyebrow at her. Cheeks tinted with red, she looked anywhere but the god she was with.

"Not one word," she growled as she stomped over to the dining hall with Loki in tow probably laughing at her embarrassment.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hey! I sincerely wanted to apologize for the last chapter's cliffhanger! But I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It had a lot of Loki goodness in it. Let me know what you think!

 **darkangelynn5:** I hope this one satisfied you with their meeting. Glad to hear from you :)

 **PurpleRose861:** Gosh, I'm sorry! I hope you like this one though :)

 **GuestLoki:** I knoooow! I'm squealiiing!

 **Guest:** I'm sorry :D But I hoped you like this chapter. Let me know what you think


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the marvel franchise. I only own my OC's.

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

 **Oath**

Dinner was too formal for her liking. Usually, Pepper would attend formal meetings on Earth instead of her father. She was very much like Tony who liked parties and rowdy places where he could show off. That doesn't mean she did not attend parties like this; on several occasion, she did especially when needed. The last formal party she attended was in Stuttgard, Germany three years ago where she was reunited with Loki on bad foot.

After dinner, Thor invited Clio to a local inn and informed her that Volstagg would be retelling their battles in Vanaheim. Clio agreed with it and was silently delighted when Thor invited Loki too. The latter stated it would only be a quick drink. But after a few rounds, Loki stayed by her side.

Clio was seated next to Thor who was chuckling at the voluminous warrior's story while Loki is on her other side looking bored. The other warriors stopped talking to each other as they listened to Volstagg intense story telling.

"…cracking under his strain and I sent the beast off!" Volstagg retold the story. Clio found herself chuckling every now and then at his way of telling stories. She could see others, especially the women and children in the brothel, were so engrossed with every word that he said. "But six more beat me to the ground crashing my blade as if… as if it was a paper."

He stopped talking when two toddlers, who she met a while ago as Volstagg's children, ran past them and into Volstagg's arms. "Oh, you're missing the best part!" their father exclaimed as the little girl jumped to his lap and adjusted her seat. "Now, where was I?" he asked.

"You were surrounded," Thor supplied earning a chuckle from Clio and from the other Asgardian women in the room.

"Again," Fandral added earning a giggle from the girls who had each of his arms on their shoulders. Clio raised an eyebrow at his blatant ways with women. He returned hers with a quick wink to which Clio chuckled.

Loki turned to where she was staring and then glared back at her.

"What?" she asked but Loki ignored her as Volstagg continued his story.

"Yes, yes, yes, by the most vile criminals in the nine realms have ever produced," he continued with indignation that made Clio smile. "To our left, savage beast with fangs like knives!" he added using his hands to emphasize what he meant. Some children gasped at his indignation. "To our right, soldiers were approaching, their blades dripping with blood! And who was there to face the Hordes?"

"Fandral the Dashing!" Volstagg announced as he pointed at the dashing man.

"I was," Fandral supplied proudly before he took a sip on his drink.

"Hogun the Grim!" Volstagg added but the said warrior was nowhere to be found. Clio last saw him talking to the Lady of Vanaheim near the balcony. She had learned from Thor that Hogun was betrothed to her and she blushed in embarrassment at her accusations at Loki.

"…and Volstagg the uh…" he faltered as he searched for the right adjective to describe himself.

"Voluminous?" supplied the lady next to Fandral earning a laugh from the others.

"Fat?" teased Fandral as Volstagg tried to search for words.

"Invincible!" he cheered. "I don't mind telling you," he continued as he stared at Thor. "But I feared for Thor's life."

Fandral guffawed in disbelief and stared at Thor who grinned back at his friend. "But Prince Loki, with his quick wit and astounding talent in magic, managed to bring down the numbers of the enemies!" Clio glanced back at Loki who only nodded his head to Volstagg in acknowledgement. He turned to her and smirked to which she smiled back fondly. 'At least he's changed. Usually, he'd be turning his back on them,' she thought and turned back to Volstagg. "And with steely courage, intrepid spirit and an axe," he slammed his fist on the table making the others jump in surprise. "Victory was ours!" He cheered and the others cheered with him.

Clio clapped her hands at the voluminous' warrior story. "Truly, a tale for the ages," Thor commented.

"No doubt I'd be telling you that long as well," Fandral added earning a grin from Thor.

Clio flinched when Volstagg threw his cup to the ground and yelled 'Another!' making the others do the same. Loki downed his ale and threw the cup on the ground but did not yell. She noticed Thor was silent and a sad smile graced his lips before he downed too his ale. He did not throw it but thus left it on the table.

She remembered Jane telling her the first time she met Thor and he threw the mug on the ground after complimenting how good it was. Jane laughingly told her how Thor changed after she scolded him about the ways in Earth. That moment, she knew he was thinking of Jane.

Thor turned to her and Loki and excused himself. She could only nod at his retreating back and stared at Loki in question.

"He goes to the Bifrost every night to ask Heimdall of his mortal," Loki informed her. Clio stared back to where Thor was before with a sad look. If only she could do something for both of her friends. She knew they missed each other but they were worlds apart.

"Why won't he visit Jane?" she asked Loki. The latter only shrugged his shoulders. "Jane misses him so," she stated.

"It is for their sake," Loki said after a while. Clio stared at him with a scowl. "Mortals are fragile and can easily be gone with just a blink of an eye. They were saving themselves from a lot of pain and heart aches."

"That's a horrible way to put it," Clio argued. "It doesn't matter if she will die quickly or not. What matters is that you could stay with the one who truly matters until your very last breath. That's what makes love as it is."

"You don't know what true pain feels like," Loki stated coldly. "It burns you from the inside and you try to protect your heart by putting it on ice, because if you don't, you'll suffer."

"Is that how you put up with all these years after knowing who you truly are?" she asked and Loki glared at her for her remarks. She knew she hit a spot but instead of stopping, she continued. She just couldn't let him do that to himself. She couldn't just let him think he was alone all this time when there are people loved him so. "Loki, have you ever thought about how you broke Thor's heart when you turned your back on him? Instead of turning against the world, he thought of you because deep down he knew, you're still there."

"Drop it," he said through clenched teeth. It was a good thing everyone was busy at the party that they have not noticed their exchange.

"And what about me?" she continued as she gazed at him. "Have you ever thought of the pain you put me through? I almost lost hope but deep down I knew the Loki who saved me from death that night at the cliff was still there and you are," she added with a sad smile.

The cheers and laughter of the party slowly dissipate around them as they stared at each other. Those words she said was true. She may not have forgiven him but the hope of him coming back still lingers within her and maybe, it will always be.

 **~0~**

 **~Loki~**

That night, Loki stood at the balcony of the throne room that can oversee the city of Asgard. His mind still lingers around the words Clio said. He remembered the sad smile she wore, the lack of light in her gray eyes as she remembered the time in New York. Deep down, it pained him.

"You're still awake," a melodious tone interrupted his thoughts. He turned around to see his mother walking towards him. Loki curtsies and offered his hand to her so she could ascend the steps to the balcony.

"Sleep would not come," he answered once they were settled near the railings.

"Then why did you not use the magic I taught you?" Frigga asked.

"I want to sleep in my own accord and not with the use of magic," Loki answered.

Frigga stared at her son for a while. "I know something is bothering you," she finally stated. "You can tell me everything, my son. You know I'm always here."

"I know you are," Loki said and smiled fondly at his adoptive mother. "Why did you bring her here?" he asked finally.

"She needed to be cured," she stated.

"There's more to that, I know," Loki implied earning a sigh from his mother. He was the god of lies. Nothing gets past him, not even his mother.

"I have foreseen her," Frigga admitted to which Loki scowled at. "I have foreseen her in my vision. I saw a shadow looming across the nine realms." Loki tensed at her words. Could it be real? His heart pounded a little faster than normal. "It is coming and seeing her in my visions meant she is something of importance in the future."

"That's why you brought her here? What if it would only put her in danger? Mother, I can't let that happen," Loki growled and breathed deeply. "I will return her back to Earth first thing in the morning."

"You fear for her," Frigga commented. Loki glared at his mother and Frigga chuckled before cupping his son's face on her hand. "That's why I brought her here because I knew you would protect her."

"What?" Loki asked, his face scrunched in confusion.

"You thought of her as your beacon, Loki," Frigga stated. "Bringing her back to Earth would only put her in danger. I have not told Odin of my visions yet because I knew he'd send her back immediately."

"What danger would it be?" he asked and even though he asked, he already knew the answer. It was something sinister that even he felt a chill ran down his spine in fright.

"I do not know yet," Frigga admitted. She grabbed Loki's cool hands on her own and squeezed it gently. "But these I ask of you, my son, please protect her at all cost."

Before he realized it, he was already nodding. "I swore with my life," he found himself saying.

 **~0~**

 **~Clio~**

Clio massaged her sore shoulder as she walks out of the healing chamber. The muscles inside her body were already aching since the morning she woke after the ball. She consulted Healer Hilda about it and they found out that 48% of the muscles and tissues of her body had been invaded by the microorganism. There have been no signs yet whether it was lethal or not. She would have stayed there to help her but she advised her to go to the library and study.

She had never been to the library before and asked an Einherjar who was on duty to lead the way. Thanking the Einherjar, she opened the door to the library and gasped at the enormity of it. The smell of old books and leather wafted her nostrils and the ache on her muscle lessened. Digging a deep breath, she slowly walked through the columns of books and let her fingers lingered on the shelves as she passed by.

It seemed the library was empty and she relished the moment. Grabbing three books that contain the study of physiology and medicinal herbs in Asgard, she walked to the farthest part of the library. She sat on the cushion in front of the fireplace and started to read. Pulling her feet on the couch as each word of the book started taking over her senses.

She just finished reading the third chapter of the second book when she yawned and stretched the still aching muscle of her shoulders. She looked around the area she was in and noticed that the fire from the fireplace was almost extinguished.

Now that she thought of it, the area looked creepy and she felt a little cold from her spot. Settling back down, she turned the book to another chapter and prepared to read it. That's when she heard a whisper so soft that she almost missed it. Was it real or was she having another attack of hallucination? She was about to go back to reading when the whisper suddenly was louder.

"Hello?" She called out and peered through the rows of shelves. "Is anyone there?"

No sound or reply was heard. She felt chill and silently cursed her attire. The white long-sleeved loose-fitting tunic dress that ends above her knees and black leggings she was wearing was not enough to keep her warm. It was her usual attire whenever she would come to the healing chambers.

Another whisper caught her attention, this time much louder. She was sure now that she was not imagining it. Could this place be haunted? She then chided herself. She was a scientist! She should not believe in ghost! But then she had seen much worst that science could not explain.

Hesitantly, she stood up from her spot and peered through the shelves.

"Sif? Fandral? Is that you?" She called again; voice shaking slightly. "Guys, this isn't funny."

She took a step towards one of the rows where the whispers were getting louder, "Thor?" She called; hoping the god of thunder would bounce out and laughed at her frightened face but none of it happened. No one answered. She jumped slightly when she heard shuffling as if a book was turned open by the wind. Heart beating rapidly in her chest, she followed the sound. She noticed the sound coming from the dark part of the library.

Slowly and surely, she readied her stance and turned to the row where the sound was coming from. Breathing rapidly, she surveyed the area which was empty and void with anyone.

"Have you found what you were looking for?" A voice whispered behind her said.

A blood curling scream left her lips. Her heart was still beating rapidly of what had just transpired, wide eyes gazed upon the trickster who was smirking at her frightened face. Slowly, she slid down to the floor with her hand clutched to her chest as she tried to calm her raging heart.

She gazed at him with incredulity. "That was not funny at all," she said once she gained back her composure.

Mirth visible on his face, "What were you looking at anyway?" He asked with a smirk.

Clio rolled his eyes and went back on the cushion not answering his question. He followed her and sit next to her. "Really, that was childish," she said again.

Loki feigned innocence, "Whatever did I do?"

"Were you also the one whispering?" she asked with a glare. Loki raised an eyebrow at her.

"Whispering?"

"Don't deny it, Greasy," she accused. Loki narrowed his eyes at his nickname and with a quick movement; he pushed her on her back. "Wow that was childish," she growled as she tried to sit up again but gasped when he pushed her back again. She gasped when he leaned forward, trapping her body with his own.

"Childish?" he threatened mockingly and earned a gulp from her. "I will see to it that you will not think of me childish after this."

Her eyes widened and her face was warm at the sudden contact of their body. He gazed down at her and felt sweet chill ran down her spine at the look he was giving her. Realizing their awkward position, she tried pushing him off, "Get off, you pervert!"

Loki, also just realizing what position they were in, stood up from her and he sat back down on the cushion. He did not look at her and thus stared at the books on the table trying to divert the tension. "What are you reading?"

Still unable to regain her composure, she gingerly snatched the book from his hand. "Stop disturbing me, will you? I'm trying to study here," she snapped trying to hide her embarrassment by getting angry.

"Your face is red," he commented. "Are you still ill? Mother told me you were getting better." Clio abruptly stood up. Loki's eyes gazed at her in shock for her sudden movement. After grabbing her things, she started walking. "Where are you going?"

"Away from you," she meant to mutter it silently but the eerie silence of the library gave off her words and Loki heard it. Her heart was still hammering in her chest. He was so close to her a while ago and she could not think properly. His presence was distracting her and she was scared that if she stayed longer, her heart could not take it anymore.

She heard Loki stood up as well but she did not turn around to watch as she walked towards the exit. She needed to get out of here or else her heart would burst with emotions. Her face warmed again when she remembered how hard his body pressed to hers.

"You hate me, don't you?" he asked making her stop in her tracks. Not turning around still, her mind processed what he had said. 'What?' she thought. Did she hate him? No. That's not it. She never hated him despite the crimes he had committed. Her heart still had not forgiven him fully but she did not hate him.

Mistaking her silence, he sighed and walked past her towards the exit of the library. She should stop him and tell him she did not hate him but her body was paralyzed and her mouth was tightly shut. She watched with a heavy heart as he walked away from her. Not bothering to turn around to face her, he went out with a slam of the door.

Once he was gone, she felt her heart broke into pieces. Maybe this was for the best. She couldn't just forget what he had done. Maybe he changed and she believed he did but forgetting was a difficult task for her.

The entire day, she had not seen Loki, not even his shadow. The only time she saw him was at dinner. She was seated next to Frigga and in front of Loki. He never once bothered to look at her and somehow that bothered her. Even Thor and Frigga knew something was amiss as they tried to get them into a conversation but the two of them were known for their stubbornness and thus did not even utter a word to each other. She felt guilty and at the same time angry at him. Why would he suddenly give her a cold shoulder? Just because he thought she hated him? She shook her head and let the thought of him vanish as she made her way to her desk. She would finish the last book tonight and not even the thought of Loki could stop her.

But boy was she wrong.

She was scribbling a note from the third chapter of the book when there was a knock on her door. She stood up and went to open it. When she did, a scowl appeared at her face when no one was at the other side. She peered over to the side to see if there was someone playing tricks on her again but there was none. Rubbing her temples as she felt a headache coming up soon, she closed the door.

She gasped loudly when she turned around and was face to face with the only god who keeps invading her mind. Her hand automatically clutched her chest as she felt her pulse quickened at the fright.

"Will you stop doing that?" She asked, annoyance dripping her voice. She heaved a sigh and stare at him. "What are you doing here?"

He did not answer thus stared at his own feet, a scowl present on his godly face as he seemed to be thinking of something.

She snapped her fingers in front of his face to get his attention. "Loki, I don't have all night," she said. Loki stared at her in annoyance before sighing.

"I don't know what to do with you, anymore," he said and moved forward making her take a step back. He moved his face forward making her gasp as she felt her heart beat wildly in her ribcage. "But I'll be damn if I let you go this time."

"W-What are you talking about? Stop saying something lewd!" She blabbered as her cheeks heat up. She pushed him away and Loki stared at her in shock.

"'Something lewd?'" he repeated incredulously. "Woman, what's gotten in your brain?"

"You were the one who was coming up to me!" she accused as she tried to back away from him but her back reached the door. Her breathing was rapid and she prayed to any entity that she be swallowed up.

"I was not! I am merely stating that I will never let you go like I did last time!" he shouted back. A tint of blush was on his cheeks when he thought of what was on her mind that made her act like that. "I'll stay by your side until my very last breath and protect you with all my being."

Silence descended upon them as Clio absorbed every words he said. Her eyes widened and she could feel that time stop as she gazed upon the god who promised his lifetime with her. If she was not mistaking, it was a proposal of love and she couldn't fathom any words at the moment. Loki, upon realizing what he said in his outburst, ran his fingers across his hair and looked away from her. "I mean it. I do not care if you hate me," Loki muttered.

"I don't hate you," she answered finally and let out the breath she was holding in. "You remember back then? I told you I don't hate you. I just don't know what to say when you asked me that a while ago. It was all sudden that it caught me off-guard."

"You don't hate me?" he repeated and she shook her head.

"I don't. I'm sorry if you thought that way." She smiled at him genuinely and chuckled. "But you pissed me off a while ago when you scared me. That wasn't funny at all."

"I'm not going to apologize for that."

She rolled her eyes. "Jerk," she grumbled when he smirked at her.

"I love to see your flustered face more," he said and she glared at him.

"But I have to know, you're the one who was whispering at the library, right?" she asked. Just to be sure, she needed to ask. It was very sinister that it left a shiver down her spine.

"I didn't," he stated and rolled his eyes. "You must be hallucinating."

"It must be because of the drug," she whispered almost to herself.

"What are you doing anyway? It's already late. Shouldn't you be resting?" Loki asked.

She looked back to where she was studying, "I was studying the books Healer Hilda instructed me to read," she answered

"Well, I should leave you be, then," he said after then gave her a true genuine smile. He reached out to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Do not take up all night studying. You need to rest," he stated.

"You too," she said. They stared at each other not willing to let go of the other. Maybe, just maybe, she could learn how to forgive him. Maybe Tony will have the heart too. A small smile graced her lips. She'll be staying with him and he will too.

"I'll just teleport myself out. Have a fair dream, mortal."

"How come you never call me by my name?" she asked annoyance visible on her face.

But Loki was already gone. She huffed and rolled her eyes at no one in particular. After a while, a smile graced her lips. A fair dream, it is.

 **~0~**

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I wanted to apologize for the delay of this chapter. The typhoon cut off our internet *cries* but it's back! To make up to you, guys, I'll be posting the next chapter tomorrow.

 **darkangelynn5:** Thank you for keeping on giving your thoughts on this story! I hope you like this one.

 **Black Moons Daughter:** Yeah, they got off from a rocky start but they'll have their moments soon. Hope to hear your thoughts on this one!

 **GuestLoki:** Well... ehehehe... glad he didn't end up with someone new right? hehehe.

 **daisy2daizy:** Here is your request! Hope to hear your thoughts on this one!


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the Marvel Franchise. I only own my OC's.

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

 **Level Up**

 _There was smoke everywhere. She could hear explosions and gunshots setting off from a distance. She could also hear glasses breaking and shouts of someone. The smokes were so thick that she could not make out of what was in front of her._

' _Tony!' she heard someone screamed in horror. Her eyes widened when she realized it was Pepper who was screaming at the top of her lungs. She coughed when the smoke got in her lungs as she called for Pepper who was now wailing hysterically. She could make only make out a few things but she knew she was back in their Malibu house._

' _Pepper!' she called out once again but the latter did not grace her with any reply. Thankfully, the smokes were clearing up as she made her way through the house. To her absolute horror, she saw their Malibu house was burnt to pieces. Half of it fell to the water down below and she could see Pepper looking down and screaming her father's name._

' _No, no, no,' Clio muttered as she realized what was happening. 'This is not true, this is not true,' she repeated and closed her eyes. She put her hands to her ears and covered the wailings of Pepper as she repeated the mantra._

 _She opened her eyes and the scene changed. She was in some kind of a shipping vessel. The earth was shaking and she could see several of the Iron Man suits flying and were busy fighting with armed people._

 _'Where am I?' she muttered to herself as she looked over the horror in front of her. It all felt so real that a shiver ran down her spine._

' _I got you. Relax, I got you,' she heard someone coaxed to her right. She turned around and saw Tony reaching out for Pepper who was on the verge of falling. He tried to reach her further and Clio gasped when she saw his feet slipping from the railing._

' _Dad!' she exclaimed and ran to him and pulled him back before he could fall. For a moment he turned around, face scrunched in confusion and surprise._

' _Clio?' he asked, unsure if she was really there. 'Is that you?'_

' _Dad, there's no time,' she said pertaining to the problem ahead. He turned back again to Pepper when the metal above creaked._

' _Honey, I can't reach you any further but you can't stay there, alright?' Tony told Pepper. 'You got to let go, I'll catch you okay?'_

 _It was an impossible feat. Pepper was too far and even if he managed to catch her, the momentum would knock them both off. 'Dad, no,' she tried to warn but the metal above gave off making Pepper fall. Tony tried to grab her but was too far and slipped his grasp._

' _No!' Both Tony and Clio screamed in horror as they watch Pepper plummeted to the raging inferno below._

 **~0~**

"Clio!" someone shouted as she was shaken awake. She jolted up with a terrified scream. A crash was heard from the background as she tried to fend off what she previously saw.

With terrified and widened eyes, she scanned the area and saw she was back in her bed in Asgard. Her breathing was ragged as she tried to control her emotions. There was an ache in her head as the dream replayed in her head over and over. She shivered at the scream of Pepper which echoed in her head. The dream felt so real.

Her head snapped back when she heard shuffling. She saw Thor and Loki were on the ground as if someone had pushed them while Frigga was staring at her in shock at the edge of her bed and looked unsure what to do.

"W-what happened?" she asked when the two stood up and guarded their mother cautiously. What happened just now? Why are they looking at her as if they have seen a ghost? But she shook it off for later. She gazed back at Thor frantically. "Thor when you went back to Earth, what really happened?"

The sudden question took the god off-guard and for a moment, now that the moon shone his face, she saw guilt. "My lady," he started but she shook her head.

"Tell me the truth, what happened?" she demanded. Frigga, finally regaining her shock, went to her side and put a hand on her shoulder. "Something happened to my dad, right? Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded as another tear fell from her eyes. She didn't know how she saw what she saw and she didn't know whether to believe it or not but her gut says otherwise.

"Clio, please, you are in a state of panic. Calm down first and tell me what you have seen," Frigga ordered calmly. She saw Loki stand behind his mother as if protecting her from a threat. She gave him a glare. Did he know too? She closed her eyes when another round of a headache passed through.

Frigga muttered an incantation and put a hand over her head. The ache started fading away but the memories did not. Now that her head was cleared of pain, it was clearer for the memory of the dream to resurface.

"I saw our house being blown up," she confessed as tears started falling down her eyes more. "Pepper was shouting my dad's name. Then, we were on a shipping vessel and Dad was trying to get Pepper but he could not reach her and she fell." She sobbed as she felt Frigga squeezed her shoulder and pulled her to her chest.

"Calm now, child," Frigga hushed and rubbed her back.

Thor sat down beside her and sighed, "Your father made me promised not to tell you this."

"Tell me what?" she asked as she pulled away from Frigga. "That they were in some kind of trouble? That they were doing something that could get them killed? Thor, they are the only family I have and I have the very right to know!" she almost yelled. She felt so betrayed at the moment and so hurt. What could she do now? What if Tony was dead?

' _That's why you do not put your trust in any Asgardians. They are full of lies and deception,'_ her eyes widened and she felt a shiver ran down her spine when a voice suddenly spoke. Was she hearing things again? She heaved a deep breath and hugged her torso.

"Your father has been receiving attacks when you were in London. After you arrived here in Asgard, your house was blown up by what they call the Mandarins," Loki answered when Thor stayed silent.

"What?" she muttered and looked at Frigga.

"Your father is not dead," Thor reassured her. "After my visit, I asked Heimdall to look for him and he saw that your father was already preparing for a fight."

"Why didn't you tell me from the beginning?" she accused then turned to Loki. "You knew, too, but you didn't tell me." Loki looked away from her.

"It was for your own good, child," Frigga said and caressed her face. "With your condition, we knew you would come back to Midgard. Your body could not take it."

Clio heaved a deep breath and calmed down. She wiped the tears on her tear-streaked face and faced the queen with utmost seriousness. "I need to go back, right now."

"It is too dangerous," Frigga reprimanded.

Clio shook her head and get off the bed. "I just can't sit here knowing my dad is risking his, and probably Pepper's, life! AGAIN," she growled the last part. Oh, Tony would get an ear load of scolding from her. The very thought of it already making her angry that she unconsciously glared at Thor when he touched her shoulder. He retracted his hand quickly and looked at Loki for help. The latter sighed and went to grabbed both of her shoulders so she could look at him.

"Look, it's dangerous to go back. Don't be so stubborn!" He barked at her. She glared back and shoved both his hands off.

"Then help me! If not, you can't stop me from going back!" she barked back. The two of them glared at each other; neither one of them wanting to back down.

"Both of you, calm down," Frigga reprimanded and the two of them, not wanting to take the wrath of the queen, backed down. "I know how you feel, Clio and I know there is nothing we can do to stop you."

"Yes, there is!" Loki interjected. "Make her fall asleep or better yet throw her to the dungeons!"

"Hey! That is not fair!" she argued. Loki shook his head at her as if she was a disappointment. She growled at him as she went over to her closet and grabbed her case, the one Tony packed, and put it on the bed. "F.R.I.D.A.Y., activate!" she ordered.

The case vibrated and glowed violet as it opened revealing a computer, "Welcome, Clio Stark. How can I help you?" stated the artificial intelligence.

"What is my dad's situation right now?" she asked. She glanced back at the three Asgardians. The two were regarding her carefully while the other was glaring at her.

"Certainly, Miss Clio although it will take a while," said the A.I. While she waited, she decided to change her nightgown. She groaned inwardly when she saw that her only choices of clothes were a dress or a gray tunic and black pants. It would be a hassle if she searched her Earth clothes from her luggage so she decided to wear the most comfortable one which was the gray tunic.

"You are not seriously going back to Midgard, are you?" Loki asked incredulously. She turned to stare at him blankly.

"I am," she said. "Why do you even care?" she spat. Loki's eyes widened just a fraction but then a cold looked passed.

"Miss Clio, it seemed that Mr. Stark is in the middle of battle. Shall I set up the camera on one of the suits for you to see?" asked the A.I. She turned around from Loki to the computer.

"You have that kind of protocol?" she asked.

"Yes, activating lenses," the A.I. said and the monitor showed Tony talking to a man who was glowing red.

Her eyes widened in horror and she gasped when she recognized the man her dad was talking to. "That's him," she muttered. "That's the guy who injected the virus in my system." She turned to look at Frigga and Thor with pleading eyes. "Please, I need your help."

Frigga sighed and turned to stare at her youngest son. "Go," Frigga said.

"What?" Loki and Clio asked at the same time. Loki looked a little bit shock of his mother's command.

"Didn't you swear an oath when we talked?" the queen asked back making Loki tensed. Clio raised an eyebrow at the frozen god.

"What oath?" Clio asked, her face scrunched with confusion.

"What about Odin and Heimdall?" Loki asked and ignored the latter's question.

"Thor and I will cover for you. And to Heimdall, tell him it is the order of the queen," Frigga said.

"Are you sure? Now that I think of it, is it okay for him to go back to Earth?" Clio asked and Frigga only smiled at her. "Why not send Thor with me?"

"Please, be safe, child," Frigga said instead. Clio opened her mouth to protest but then closed it. There was no time. She shouldn't be picky at a time like this especially if her father's life were at stake.

"I will," she promised and nodded to Loki. He grabbed her by the waist as they teleported to the Bifrost.

Heimdall stood there, not a look of surprise crossed his face. "I've been expecting you," he said.

"Of course you did. It is the order of the queen," Loki said and the latter nodded.

"I know, I have seen it," he said and placed the sword to the podium.

Loki grabbed her by the shoulder and Clio clung to his chest. "Hold tight," he ordered. Clio rolled her eyes at him.

The Bifrost vibrated and the next thing she knew, they were sucked out and into Earth. When her feet touched the solid ground, she pulled away from Loki and saw the chaos around.

She saw her father scrambling away from the man who looked like he was burnt. "Loki," she called in frantic.

"What?" he asked not bothering to turn to her.

"Do something! I don't have any weapons!"

"Great planning," he remarked.

"Shut up."

He sighed and stepped forward with her behind him. "You know, as much as I want to see him dead, I can't let you kill him or else I will not hear the end of it by this mortal right here," he said out loud earning the attention of both men. Tony's eyes widened at the sight of both of them. His mouth hangs open and shook his head as if still not believing what was happening.

"What are you doing here and with **him**?" He asked incredulously and pointed at Loki. She glared at her father making him shut up. Loki found this really amusing that Tony gave him a pointed glare.

"Who are you?" the man asked turning to them fully. His body was glowing red and so were his eyes. His body was embedded with dragon markings on his chest to his shoulders.

"I am Loki Laufeyson, the rightful king of Jotunheim," he declared as his skin started turning blue. Clio's eyes were wide with awe as she gazed at his blue skin. Last time she saw it was at the helicarrier. He was stunning with his blue skin that she almost wished she had one. "Back away, mortal. I do not wish to hurt you," he muttered.

"You're still on it in being King?" she muttered in disbelief after she regained her shock but did as she was told anyway.

"You're still alive?"Asked the man to Clio when he saw her.

"I know right?" she stated sarcastically. "Well, this ends here, red man. Give up or face this god's wrath."

"I know you," the man stated as he stared at Loki. "You're the one who attacked New York." The man laughed maniacally. She saw Loki tensed his shoulder. "I'm Aldrich Killian and I am a fan of your work in New York. You see, we are the same."

"Shut up," Clio yelled. "He's not like you!" she defended. Loki raised his brow at her. Well, she couldn't blame him. They were just fighting on Asgard a while ago and now she was defending him.

The grin disappeared from his lips as he turned to her. "You, I should have killed you that night," he growled and turned slightly to Tony who was glaring at him in murder. "I should have sent your lifeless body on your father's doorstep."

"You should have but you didn't and now here standing here as I watch you get your ass beaten," she sassed.

Killian growled and lurched forward and tried to claw at her but Loki froze him, literally. Shards of ice emanated from his hands and into the raging man. "Wow," she muttered. "Never knew you could do that," she said in wonders.

"I can do many things," answered Loki and turned to smirk at her. She raised an eyebrow but then grinned at him.

"Like what?" she asked playing dumb.

"Things that you can't even imagine or maybe you have," he joked earning a blush from the dark-haired woman.

"Hey! Now is not the time to be flirting around!" Tony barked and pointed at the man in ice who was now glowing red and the ice was slowly melting.

Loki, going back to his Asgardian skin, ran towards her and shielded her with his body as the ice exploded sending shards of ice towards them.

"You think you can kill me?" the man shouted in anger. "I am the Mandarin!" he exclaimed. He started walking towards them. Loki readied his stance while Tony tried to stand up to help. But suddenly, there was a sudden pause as their eyes widened in shock when he was sent flying off the ground and into the fire.

The three of them slowly stared to the one responsible of that feat. Pepper was standing with a stick which she used to send Killian away. She was breathing heavily while glaring to where Killian used to stand.

"Okay," she muttered. "I must be dreaming again."

Pepper turned to them. Her eyes were glowing red and so were the rest of her body. Pepper was only wearing black pants and a sports bra and she whistled in appreciation at her father's girlfriend. She saw her in her dreams. She thought she had died when she fell. A relieved sigh escaped her lips.

Killian, who survived the impact, slowly approached them. Anger was visible in his face. Loki put himself in front of her. But before the mandarin could make another move, the five of them looked up at the sky when one of the iron man suits flew over them and aimed at Pepper and Killian.

She gazed at the iron man suit in confusion to why it was engaging at Pepper. In a panic, Tony tried telling the suit off. "Disengage!" The Iron Man suit blasted at Pepper who dodged it.

Pepper growled at him who backed away slightly from her. "What? Oh, you're mad at me?" Tony asked incredulously.

Clio could really only just watch as Pepper ran to Tony and used his knee as leverage. She spun in the air and punched the Iron Man suit from the air and bringing it down.

"Are you sure I'm not dreaming again?" she asked Loki and the latter only rolled his eyes in answer.

"Well, that was entertaining," Loki commented beside her.

Pepper grabbed the metal arm turned to the enemy who they didn't realize was raging towards them. Loki grabbed her arm and pulled her back before freezing the man again. Pepper, acting quickly, punched the frozen man with the metal arm. The ice cracked with the man inside it, decapitating his head.

"Wooh," Tony exclaimed as Pepper shot the remaining body of the man with the beam blast of the suit.

"Who is the hot mess now?" Pepper asked Tony breathing heavily from exhaustion.

"Still debatable," Tony answered and made his way towards Pepper but the latter backed away.

"I might burn you!" She warned but Tony shook his head.

"No, you won't. See?" Tony assured as he touched her arm. "Not hot."

"I told you they don't need us," Loki muttered as they both watched the two pairs talking. Tony hugged Pepper. She and Loki stared up when they heard an explosion and saw the suits exploding by themselves. She gazed back incredulously at Tony who winked at her knowingly.

"Merry Christmas, Cheesecake," Tony greeted before closing his eyes while he savored the moment Pepper was in his arms once again. She knew it frightened him when Pepper fell. She could feel his pain as he watched her fall down the raging fire below.

They all watched the explosion from the sky that looked like fireworks. It was a big step for him to let all of his suits self-destruct and she couldn't be even more proud of him at this moment.

"Merry Christmas, Loki," she greeted at the god who was standing next to her watching the explosion that looked like firework displays.

"You mortals are very weird," Loki replied but gave her a smile. "I should apologize for not relaying the information you need to know," he stated. Clio's eyes widened at his statement.

Then she shrugged. "What else could you do, anyway? You, guys, were just protecting me," she replied. "Besides, everything turned out well."

"Yes, it is," he nodded. "You'll be staying here then?" he asked.

"I guess so," she answered. "I can't go back to Asgard with this mess," she said then smiled at him. "But you're welcome to stay here if you want."

"Lovely," he replied and Clio grinned at him to which he smiled back.

Unbeknownst to them, one of the mandarins sneaked up to them and rushed towards Clio and they both rolled to the ground. The man started glowing red and Clio screamed as she felt the searing hot pain on her skin.

"How dare you touch her," Loki growled after he regained from his shock and before the man could blink, he appeared behind him and grabbed his arm and twisted it on his back making the man drop Clio.

Tony was on his feet and pulled his daughter back. Pepper made a run towards the man but was stopped by Tony. "Wait," he ordered as the three of them watched Loki grabbed the man's neck and twisted it. He dropped the man down and froze him before cracking the ice and decapitating it.

"We need to get Clio to the hospital!" Pepper stated as she held the younger woman in her arms. Both Tony and Loki stared back at Clio who had multiple burns all over her body. The tunic she was wearing was smothered and almost left her torso bare.

Loki ran back to them and tried to lift her but she stopped him. "No, I'm okay," she assured.

"No, you're not!" Tony argued and nodded for Loki to carry her. Loki turned his arms to blue and tried to carry the still hot Clio to soothe her burns.

"Wait, look," she cried and raised her arms. Her arms that were burned started being coated with transparent liquid.

"What is that?" Tony asked incredulously. They all watched as the burned skin of her body started returning to normal as if she wasn't burned. Even Loki stared at it in disbelief.

"Um," she started as she covered herself up with what remains of her tunic. "The thing is, I might have leveled up."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** So, as promised, here is the next chapter! I hope you guys like this one!

 **darkangelynn5:** I hope you like this one also!

 **Guest1:** I can feel it too!

 **Black Moons Daughter:** I have so much Clio and Loki loveee on the way!

 **MikazukiSuzuki:** I'm so glad you liked it! Here it is, the next chapter. I hope you like this one also!


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Marvel franchise. I only own my OC.**

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

After making sure she was fine, she and everyone else including Loki, much to Tony's dismay, went back to Stark Tower. The next day, everyone was busy. Tony found a way to extract the Extremis from Pepper. Rhodey managed to clean the mess Killian left by outing the Vice President of the US as a conspirator with Killian much to everyone's shock. She would never forget the look on Rhodey's face when she laughed over the 'Iron Patriot' thing.

The next night after everything was settled over dinner; she explained to everyone about her condition and made sure that Tony explained what happened after she went to Asgard. She learned about Tony's panic attack, Happy's attack at the Chinese Theatre, Tony's ex-girlfriend working for the Mandarin, what he found out about the whole Mandarin situation and the Extremis and to her aghast, Tony's public announcement of their address in Malibu issuing the explosion to their home.

"You what?!" she screeched as Tony winced. Pepper hid a smile as she wiped her mouth while Loki shamelessly smirked at the billionaire's situation. "48 books, dad! 48 **LIMITED EDITION** books are gone for good! Do you know how long I collected those? Do you even know what strings I have pulled to get those?"

"Not to mention I almost died the attack but you, instead, were worried about your books," Tony started but Clio raised a finger at him.

"Of all the stupid and reckless things you have done, this is, by far, the worst, dad!" She yelled. "Mentioning our address to the national TV would have been okay if you weren't the most famous person on Earth!"

"I love the famous part," Tony muttered to his self making Pepper glare at him.

"And to think I've been enjoying my stay in Asgard while you were out on a suicide mission!" she continued ranting. The spaghetti she was eating left untouched on her plate.

"At least you enjoyed," Tony supplied then sighed. "Okay, I'm sorry, Sugarplum. I know it was wrong of me to do that"

"Very wrong!"

"But it was to protect the two of you," Tony explained motioning at her and Pepper.

"But you failed," Pepper interjected.

"You're alive, right?" Tony asked sarcastically. Pepper and Clio glared again at the man and he swore he saw his life flashed before his eyes.

That whole night, Tony never heard the end of it. She only stopped when Pepper calmly asked her to since her dad was already on the 'verge of crying'.

She stayed up at the living room still contemplating what happened while everyone went inside their bedroom to sleep. She was sitting on the veranda looking out at the beauty of the city lights from below.

A year ago, the same city was burning up with aliens but now, it looked like it was never invaded at all. Still, the view did not compare to the view of Asgard at night. Well, since their Malibu Mansion was gone now, she might as well get used in New York. Malibu was where she spent growing up in and she couldn't help but feel the weight of its loss.

"You should also rest," she heard Loki spoke behind her. She turned around a bit surprise to see him still awake.

"I thought you went to sleep?" she asked as Loki made his way next to her.

"Sleep would not come at the moment," he replied as he too gazed at the busy city down below. She suddenly wished she could read what was in his mind at the moment while he gazed at the city he tried to invade.

"Me too," she answered back. "There are so many thoughts in my mind right now that I couldn't afford to sleep at all."

"Do you want me to cast you a spell for you to sleep?" he asked and Clio shook her head.

"I want to think all about it," she said and gazed back at the city; her eyes full of longing at the life she ever wanted. "I never asked for this, really," she added as she crossed her arms on her chest. She could feel his stare but she did not glanced back.

"What is?" he asked.

"This kind of life," she replied then sighed. It just came out. Well, she might as well start opening up to him. She needed to anyway especially after everything that happened. "Don't get me wrong, I love my dad so much but I just wanted to have a simple life; away from the media, away from the people who are trying to hurt my family," she muttered the last part but she knew Loki heard her.

"I've almost been kidnapped a dozen times now and to tell you the truth, I'm used to it. I'm used to all of it; living under my father's shadow. And I've managed to enjoy it," she stated then closed her eyes. "But now, I can't anymore."

"Why?" he asked.

"How can I live a normal life, right now? Everything inside me is changing. I don't even know if I'm still human," she said and rubbed her hands on her shoulders to keep her warm.

"You are still the same to me," he stated after some time. She glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. "As long as your heart doesn't change, you're still the same. Physically, you are changing but do not let that change even the way you think or feel. Do not go where I went," he finished.

Silence descended upon them. "I never thought I'd hear that from you," she joked lightheartedly.

"I'm sorry," he muttered after a moment.

She glanced back at him in surprise. He turned to her with all the seriousness. "For saying those things? No, don't be," she chuckled slightly.

"For the pain I've put you through," he stated. She froze from her spot at his statement. He raised his hand to caress her cheek. "For not coming back as the one who saved you from death," he continued.

Her mouth opened a little at his statement. This was the first time he apologized for the crimes he committed that she was caught off-guard at the moment and she was at loss for words. "You were forced to," she muttered. Loki stared at her with regret. "…right?"

He shook his head. "I agreed to it," he admitted; Clio's brow furrowed. "I wanted to prove I could do more than what my brother did. They did force me by altering my memories where I thought Thor threw me off the bifrost. I was driven by rage and that is why I agreed to do it.

When I saw you in Stuttgart I began to question my motives," he continued. "But you already saw how I killed the man. I saw the terror and disbelief in your eyes and that made me decide to continue the plan because what more could I lose now that you fear me."

"Okay, stop," she ordered and raised a hand to him. The emotion she was feeling was too much and she could not handle it. "Just stop."

"I'm sorry," he began to say but stop when she slapped him across the face. A look of surprise crossed his face but was later replaced by confusion when a smile appeared on her face; it was a sad smile.

"That's for what you did," she said with a grin. Wiping the tears on her cheek that she did not know fell, she chuckled humorlessly. Loki gave her some time to wipe away the tears to which she was thankful with. "You jerk, this is the first time you apologized for that," she muttered.

"Is that why you are crying?"

"I'm not crying!"

"That is not what it looked like," he said and decided to just wipe her cheeks. "I wanted you to hate me. It would have been easier for me if you hated me."

"I don't," she replied.

"I know you don't," he smiled. "That's why I apologized to you now."

She nodded. "You confuse me sometimes," she replied.

"So do you," he said with a smile on his lips. The smile made her heart skipped a beat. It was a rare smile one that she could only see when he was being sincere and her heart was so happy that she could only see it when he was with her. "That may be the reason why you never left my mind. Irritating and stubborn as you are, I find you very interesting."

Her smile dropped and she rolled her eyes at him. "You could have left the irritating part. I could have gone for the stubborn one," she replied. Loki shook his head in amusement. "So, what about this captor of yours?" she asked after some time.

There was a look that passed on his face that she could not fathom at her question. Whether he was contemplating what he wants to answer or not, she did not know. "He doesn't matter, anymore," he answered. She didn't try to push further. It must still pain him of the memory and she didn't want to ruin the moment they had.

To her surprise, his lips landed on her forehead and lingered there for a moment before he stood up straight. "I'll never let anything hurt you, this I swear my life with," he muttered as he caressed her cheek. Her heart, for once, was not pounding rapidly in her chest instead it was calm. It was peaceful; everything was with him.

"You don't have to," she whispered and smiled at him as she gripped the hand that was caressing her cheek. "I can handle myself, you know."

"That I do not have confidence with," he said his eyes were serious. "I want to protect you. If it's the last good thing I have to do in my life then I would gladly do so," he added.

Her mouth opened slightly and she bit her lower lips. "Of all the female species you could have met in this entire universe, why me?" she asked.

"Why do you doubt yourself?" he asked back. "I will only say this once because I will never repeat it ever again: Of all the billion stars in the universe, you shine the brightest; the beacon to my darkness."

Her heart was fluttering and she could help but grin at the cheesy but sweet sayings of the man in front of her. She didn't respond at all instead she closed her eyes. All she wanted was to savor the moment she was with him. Once S.H.I.E.L.D. knew he was back to Earth, he will have to go back to Asgard to avoid getting caught here.

But the next day, Hogun and Volstagg appeared at Stark Tower and were ordered by Odin to bring Loki back on Asgard in an urgent matter. Promising he'd be back to come and get her whenever she's ready, he left with the two warriors.

After Loki left, Tony announced his decision that surprised both Pepper and her over dinner that he was willing to take off his reactor and the shrapnel embedded in his heart. She, Pepper and Rhodey went with him at the hospital to show their support. It was a 12 hours long operation but to their relief it was a huge success.

It was slowly turning back to normal and she was glad it was. She hoped and prayed that the peace will last long.

Three weeks have passed after the incident and Clio was currently reading about the reports given by her new subordinates. With much thought, she resigned from her work and decided to continue conducting her study in Stark Tower. With Tony's help, she managed to hide the unknown microorganism in her new lab. She knew how dangerous it was and if it gets to the wrong hands again, it would be her fault.

"Hey, Sugarplum, how do I look?" Tony spoke making Clio looked up from what she was reading. Her father stood at her doorway dressed in a blue coat and tie. He was going on a date with Pepper tonight and she was the one to arrange it just in case her father messed up again. "Too much?"

She smiled broadly and gave him a once over. She walked over to him and arranged his tie. "You look dashing, Dad."

"Of course, I do," he replied smoothly and Clio rolled her eyes. "You're not overworking too much, are you?"

She shook her head and patted his chest. "I'm not; just looking over some stuff."

"You sure you don't want to come?" he asked once again. He kept on worrying whenever she was alone.

"Date night, Dad," she reminded and pushed him towards the door. "Besides, you still need to make up to Pepper."

She walked with him towards the elevator. "Look, call Happy if there's something wrong okay? He's just below the building and make sure to call me."

"No way am I calling you on your date with Pepper. Dad, relax! I'll be fine," she reassured him and kissed his cheek.

"Okay, fine," he grumbled and entered the elevator.

"Oh, and don't forget," she added before he pushed the button. "I'll be visiting Jane over the weekend in London."

Tony sighed, "I can't stop you, can I?" he asked hopefully and Clio shook her head.

"Nope," she answered and smiled cheekily at him. "Have fun!"

Once the elevator door closed, she walked over to the balcony to where she and Loki last talked and inhaled deeply. With God of Mischief's absence, she actually missed him despite them arguing over little things. She remembered the time she forced Loki to eat meatballs that she made at dinner. He commented how it smelled funny and how it looked funny to him and refused to eat it no matter what. It actually turned into a verbal fight between them that Tony had enough and yelled at both of them shutting them up. In the end, Loki had to eat it when she continued to glare at him over dinner.

She looked up at the sky and wondered what everyone in Asgard was doing. She kept thinking about going back there and continuing her apprenticeship but at the moment, she can't just leave Tony and Pepper behind. Not to mention she was setting up her new research laboratory. She called Dr. Bruce Banner to help her set up her research and he promised to be there by next month after his voluntary work.

 **~0~**

Darcy waved at her when she finished getting her luggage. Clio smiled at her friend and gave her an embrace. She just arrived at the airport. Tony offered to use their private jet but she wanted to do this like a normal woman. She was already having a crisis about her soon-to-be genetics and living a life like a princess was not helping at all. But the truth was, she actually wanted to get there in a slow pace. She didn't know what to say to Jane especially now that she spent the last few weeks on Asgard.

"Welcome back, I thought you were gone forever!" Darcy joked and Clio chuckled. She gave her a Mcdonald's soda which she was thankful for. She didn't bother eating on the plane and slept it off.

"You can't get rid of me that easily," she joked back as she took a sip and looked around to see where her other friend was. "Hey, where's Jane?" she asked.

"The thing is, I forgot to tell Jane you were coming," Darcy answered and smiled cheekily at Clio's baffled form. "Well I did tell her but not the exact date. You see, she was busy today."

"Doing what? Moping?" Clio joked and Darcy gave her a grin.

"Nope, even better," Darcy said, her eyes glints with mischief. "She's currently on a date."

Clio spluttered the soda from her mouth and gazed wide eyes at Darcy. "No way," she muttered as she wiped her mouth. Darcy grinned at her expression.

"That was my reaction, too!" she exclaimed and grabbed her other luggage "Ten bucks says she ruins this one?"

"Deal," she replied with a grin. She really does love Darcy; she was always carefree and was always the serious but caring friend. She loved both of them.

"Anyways, I'll be dropping you off your hotel first and you get some sleep. I need to meet my intern."

"You have an intern?" she asked with a scowl.

"Yeah, he is also Jane's intern's intern," Darcy said with a grin. Clio shook her head and chuckled.

"So, I'll be heading by your place later?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure," Darcy replied. "Hopefully, Jane screws this one up and we'll be having a pizza party later."

Clio grinned back at her friend as they drove away.

 **~0~**

"How was your flight, Sugarplum?" Tony asked via intercom. She promised she'd call when she arrived at her hotel. Tony was currently at Stark Tower's kitchen drinking coffee when she called.

"Boring," she answered as she arranged her luggage to the hotel's closet.

"I told you, you should have used the jet," Tony remarked making Clio roll her eyes.

"What are you up to today?" she asked instead.

"I'll be going to Stark Industries later. Pepper called a board meeting today," he answered and took a sip from his coffee. Tony, to both her and Pepper's delight, would be going back to Stark Industries and be reinstated as the CEO.

"Shouldn't you be preparing for your speech then?" she asked with raised eyebrow. Tony gave her a 'why-would-I-need-that?' look. "What? You mean you didn't prepare any? You're going back and they need some reassurance from you."

"Why would they need that? If they don't trust me with my own company, they can quit anytime," he sassed.

"Dad," she warned and Tony gave her a grin

"I was just joking, Little Owl, I'll think of something when I get there," he answered then narrowed his eyes at her. "You better not get in trouble while you're there. The last time you're in London, it all went haywire."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," she waved off making Tony grumble.

"Don't wave me off like that," Tony scolded earning a cheeky grin from his daughter and sighed. "Anyway, do you ever plan to go back to Asgard?"

Clio tensed at the question but released a sigh. "I will after I talk to Dr. Banner about the microorganism. He might have a theory about it. You know, now that I think about it the effect of the microorganism looks the same like the Super-Soldier Serum the one you told me about that was injected to Steve Rogers by Grandpa Stark?"

Tony was silent for a moment, almost like he was thinking of something. "That's why you need to talk to Bruce about it?"

"Yeah," she answered and clicked her tongue. "I wanted to talk to him about it ASAP but he said he can't just walk away from his volunteer work."

"We'll discuss it further when you get back," he said and she nodded. "Anyway, I have to go before Pepper kills me. I'm almost late at the meeting. Call me when there's trouble, okay?"

"Okay," she answered and Tony stopped for a moment and stared at her intently.

"I mean it. CALL ME when there's trouble," he said and emphasized the word 'Call me'.

Clio rolled her eyes but then blow a kiss at him, "Love you, Dad," she said and ended the call not bothering to wait for his reply.

She put her phone at the night stand next to her bed and yawned. She did not get any sleep at all throughout the plane ride. She stretched her joints and lay back down at the bed. Staring up at the ceiling, her thoughts wandered to Loki. His departure was sudden that they never got to talk about things since she was also busy that moment. He only promised that he'll be back to get her when she's ready and that was it. Her eyes fluttered close as sleep gingerly took her in with Loki being the last one on her mind.

It was a 4 hours dreamless sleep and was interrupted by the ringing of her phone on her nightstand. She tried to ignore it and buried her head on the pillow. Sighing, she went back to sleep when the phone stopped ringing but the peace was interrupted when it rang again. Groggily, she sat up from her bed and grabbed her phone.

"Hello?" she answered; the sleep in her voice was evident.

"Hey, Sleepyhead," Darcy called out and Clio groaned. "Sorry to wake you up but we have an emergency."

"What?" she grumbled.

"Well, Jane's been missing for four hours now and I thought you might want to help," Darcy informed her.

Any sleep remaining in her system vanished at her friend's statement. "What? Four hours? I thought you said she was on a date?"

"Yeah, about that, I made her kind of walk away from him," she said as Clio stood up.

"Made her walk away? What?" Clio asked as she grabbed her hairbrush and combed her dark tresses.

"I'll explain it to you when you get here," Darcy said and told her the address before hanging up.

She went to the bathroom to erase any trace of sleep evident on her. Grabbing her jacket and bag, she walked out of her hotel room and dashed outside. Luckily, a cab pulled over to her and she went in. She told the driver the address. She grabbed her phone deciding whether to call Tony or not. Was this some kind of trouble? Sighing, she sent him a text about Jane missing and that she was fine and was probably Darcy's prank.

She scowled when the driver pulled over an abandoned storage house. "Uh, you sure this is the place?" she asked.

"This is the one you told me about," the driver grumbled. Thanking the driver, she got out of the cab and walked towards the warehouse. She pulled out her phone and decided to call Darcy, in case this was really some kind of a prank.

"Darcy, I swear to you if this is some kind of joke you're not going to like what I'm going to do to you," she threatened.

"I'm not into girls, Clio," she joked making Clio roll her eyes. "Look to your left," she instructed. When she turned, she saw her waving.

Putting back the phone in her pocket, she walked towards her friend. She noticed a guy walking behind her as well.

"Hey," she greeted when she was in front of them. "Meet Ian, my intern. Ian, this is my friend Clio Stark."

Ian's eyes widened at Darcy then turned to gawk at Clio. "You mean, **THE** Dr. Clio Stark? The daughter of Tony Stark? The billionaire?"

Clio stared at Darcy with raised brow and the latter shrugged back at her. "You're famous, what do you expect?"

The billionaire's daughter shook her head and put a hand on her hip. "Okay, where's Jane?"

"That's the thing. I went to Jane in the middle of her date with a guy named 'Richard' – yes, I know, who names their kid 'Richard'? -Because I have to report about this strange signal we've been picking up. I mean, we haven't had that signal since New Mexico."

"New Mexico?" Clio blurted out with a scowl scrunched on her face.

"Yeah, that was like three years ago, I think. That's where we met smokin' hot alien Thor," she informed her and Clio's eyes widened. Three years ago, she also met Loki in New Mexico. If she remembered correctly, he told her he had business with Thor here on Earth that night. What an odd coincidence.

"Okay, so what does this have to do where Jane is?" she asked wanting to get to the point. The matter was not important right now. They needed to find Jane.

"I was getting there," Darcy said then heaved a deep breath. "So, we tracked the signal where it was at its highest and it led us here. Then there's this whole thing were you drop something and it would come back right on top. Do you get me?" she blabbered.

Clio opened her mouth to say something but then closed it. If Jane was the one explaining she might get what she was saying but this is Darcy. If she asked for her to explain further it will only get more complicated.

"Anyway, the point is there are opened portals in that storage and Jane went to survey the place and the next thing we knew, she was gone. We tried calling her but there was no signal."

"Wait, hold up," Clio stopped raising her hand as Darcy breathed a deep breath. "So you mean, you were here doing research but then you lost your lead scientist?" she asked and Darcy nodded furiously. "Did you try to search the place again?" Darcy shook her head and Clio sighed in defeat.

"So what should we do?" she asked.

Clio eyed the two of them and then surveyed the surrounding. "Why don't you two search outside and I'll go back inside and see if Jane comes back?"

"Okay," Darcy agreed and pointed at her phone in her pocket. "Please don't turn off your phone. I don't want to lose another friend."

"You're not going to lose another friend," Clio reassured her and patted her shoulder. "Besides, Jane must have been busy with something she found inside where there is no signal."

"Shouldn't we just call the police?" Ian asked fidgeting slightly. She couldn't blame him. Even she was panicking for her friend. "I mean, what if a serial killer followed us here and kidnapped Dr. Foster?"

"If we do that, they'll arrest us for trespassing," Clio warned and gave a huff. "And besides, serial killer? Really? If I know better, Jane could take care of herself." Not to mention Heimdall keeps an eye on Jane and would have notified Thor if something were to happen.

"At least we'll go to jail together," Darcy said in high pitched with a grin.

Clio rolled her eyes and walked back inside the storage house. "Call me if your found anything," she called back to them before entering the place. Her eyes scanned the dark place. It looked like a creepy haunted house. Her heels echoed throughout the building as she took a step. She assumed the place was abandoned for years now.

"Jane?" she called out then tensed. Somehow, this was so familiar. Then she remembered the scare Loki put her in. "Damn it," she muttered. If this was some kind of a prank, she'd be murdering her friends. Whether she be put on jail or not, she did not care anymore.

There was a shuffling of birds that made her squeak not far away from her. She debated whether to call the police or not. If she did, they'll be arrested for trespassing. Sighing, she walked further. She almost jumped when she felt her phone vibrated in her pocket. Grabbing it out, she cursed when she saw Darcy's name.

"Yes?" she hissed after she accepted the call.

"Just checking on you," Darcy said. "There's still no sign of Jane, by the way."

"So is here," she reported as her eyes scanned the ceiling. "What is this place, anyway?"

"I don't know but I have to warn you there's a shift in gravity. Just in case you freaked out if you saw a floating truck."

"What floating truck…" she stopped abruptly when the thing Darcy was talking about came to view. It was floating in midair and Clio rubbed her eyes just in case she was hallucinating again. Her mouth hangs open at the sight. "What in the world?" she muttered as her fingers touched the base of the floating truck. It was very light like a feather and when she pushed it slightly, it moved.

"Pretty cool, huh? We…" Darcy was cut off by statics. She looked at her phone and see Darcy was still on the line. "Clio?" she heard then another static.

"Yeah, I'm still here though I'm losing you," she informed her. "This must be where you lost Jane."

"Can… Clio… Call… Now…" she heard Darcy said through the static. Jane must be near since the signal was low.

"The signal is low here, I'm going to call you back later when I find Jane," Clio assured then end the call. She gazed again at the floating truck one more time before entering the door at the other side. It led into a hallway to her dismay. She peeked to every room to see if Jane was there but found none.

At the end of the hallway, she saw another to the right but this one was dark than the hallway she was walking at. A wind blew through the window of one of the rooms making her shiver slightly. "Maybe I should get back to Darcy," she muttered.

She jumped slightly when thunder boomed. She glanced at the window near her. The sky was dark which made her furrowed her brow. It was just sunny a while ago. She suddenly had a bad feeling about this. Could that be a sign that Thor was here? Was Jane really in trouble? Was there really a serial killer that followed her friend? She eyed the hallway warily deciding whether to continue or not. Or she could wait for Thor to come if that was really him.

She decided the latter and turned on her heel when she heard footsteps coming from the hallway she was avoiding. "I should start avoiding creepy places like this," she muttered as the footsteps got louder and louder as it comes nearer to her. Bracing herself, she grabbed the thing that was on her right – which was a twig.

' _Kill whoever it is,'_ a voice whispered in her head. What? She thought. She glanced behind her just in case someone was behind her but there was none. She was off her medicine since arriving on Earth so why was she hearing things again?

A yelp escaped her lips when she came face to face with her missing friend, who also yelped in surprise at the sight of her. "Jane!"

"Clio? What are you doing here?" she asked as the dark-haired girl rushed towards her and engulfed her in a hug. "I thought you're still in New York?"

"Where have you been?" Clio asked choosing to ignore her friend's question. Jane scowled at her in confusion as Clio checked her for any injuries.

"I'm right here, I've been right here," answered Jane before she could answer they heard a police siren.

"Shit," Clio muttered and grabbed her phone. "Still no signal, Darcy must have freaked out and called the police. Come on."

Jane's eyes widened. "What? Ugh, I'm so going to murder her!" she exclaimed. They rushed back to the entrance of the building.

When they were outside, the rain was already pouring down hard and Darcy was talking to one of the police officer when she saw them. They both ran back to Darcy. Clio expected the rain to pour down on her but was taken by surprised when not a drop landed on her. She slowed her step as she watched Jane marched to their waiting friend.

"Clio! Jane!" she greeted in relief as she rushed towards them. "I've been calling you, Clio but I can't reach you. What happened?"

"There was no signal inside," Clio informed after regaining her shock. She looked around the area and saw the three of them not being landed by the heavy rain pour. Her mouth hangs open at what was happening.

"Please tell me, you didn't call the police," Jane said in disbelief.

"I can't reach either the two of you. What was I supposed to do?" she defended.

"Not call the police," Jane growled with a glare.

"I was freaking out," Darcy argued back.

"You call the cops; they call the Feds and the next thing we knew S.H.I.E.L.D's crawling all over area 51!" Jane said through gritted teeth.

"Jane," Darcy tried to explain but the astrophysicist was furious.

"We have a stable reputation anomaly. We have unlimited access! Our only competitions were those ten year old!"

Clio stepped up and put a hand on each of their shoulders having heard enough. "Okay don't be hard on Darcy," she reprimanded then gazed back at Jane.

"I wouldn't be if she just sat still and waited for me!"

"Jane, you were gone for five hours."

Her fellow scientist stared at her dumbfounded. "What?" she muttered. A thunder boomed again from the sky and that's when Darcy and Jane just noticed what was happening.

"That's weird. Shouldn't it be raining?" Darcy asked.

"I'm glad you guys are starting to notice it," Clio replied as she turned away from them to survey the circle that was not being poured down. She walked over to where the circle ends and watched as the rain drops to the ground. To her surprise, the circle started moving and she moved back to not get wet. She cringed when the rain caught up to her and started pouring down on them. "Is this one of your phenomena?" she asked her two friends as she turned back to them. She turned around to see only Darcy. She furrowed her eyebrow and started looking for Jane only to gasp in surprise.

"I guess," she heard Darcy said over the rain. "Is this one of those cheesy moments in movies where you say 'awww'?"

Jane was walking to the god of thunder who just arrived from the scene. Slowly, a grin appeared on her face at the reunion of the two, finally, but then both she and Darcy flinched slightly Jane slapped Thor right in the face.

"Uh, probably?" Clio answered Darcy's question then flinched again when Jane slapped again.

"I've seen this scene before," Darcy commented and Clio nodded in agreement. "You know that movie where they were standing in the rain and the girl slapped him because she thought he had forgotten her?"

"Yeah, I think I saw that one; just don't know what title," she commented back as they gazed back at the two were talking. "Now they're getting mushy with each other," she commented.

They both rolled their eyes at the scene. "Ugh, I can't stand that. I'm heading back to the police and try to explain to them what happened," Darcy stated and Clio nodded in agreement.

"Make sure your intern is okay too," she said.

Darcy was about to walk away when she stopped. "Hey, are we being invaded again?" she asked not bothering to look back at her.

"What? No. Thor is a good guy, remember? Why?" Clio asked back.

"Because I swear, he was the one I saw on T.V. when New York was invaded," Darcy informed her.

Clio scowled at her friend before glancing to where Darcy was pointing at. A gasp left her lips when she saw a man clad in green and gold armor not far from where Jane and Thor was located holding an umbrella and looking like the gloomy god he was. He was also looking at the two pair with disgust before rolling his eyes and landing to hers. His eyes widened a fraction at the sight of her.

"Slap me," Clio muttered.

"You sure?" Darcy asked before giving her a slap on her arm which made her yelp in surprise. Clio glanced at her in disbelief. "What? You told me to slap you."

"I meant that as metaphorically," she said through clenched teeth as she glared at her friend.

Shaking her head, she glanced back at Loki and sure enough, he was still there. She was not hallucinating. She held back a smile at the sight of him. It's been a long time since she last saw him. She walked towards him slowly and he did the same too. They met halfway and offered her a place under his umbrella. "What are you doing here?" she asked still couldn't believe that he was really here.

"I was accompanying Thor when Heimdall could not see his mortal anymore," Loki explained then scowled at her. "What are you doing here? Should you not be in that Tower?"

Clio sighed as she recalled what happened five hours ago. "I don't even know where to begin. I was supposed to visit Jane but then she went missing for 5 hours," she groaned.

Loki tucked a hair under her ear and she smiled at him in return. "Well, at least I won't be going back to that Tower to see you," he replied.

"You were planning to?" she asked a grin appearing from her face. A tint of blush was visible on both her cheeks.

"Yes," he answered. "After Thor make sure his woman is safe."

"Well, here I am," she joked and opened her arms to emphasize.

"Yes, here you are," he replied back. They both grinned while they gazed at each other.

"I can't believe you found a guy too!" Darcy exclaimed. She jumped slightly at the sudden intrusion while as Loki did not seem faze. "Come on," she beckoned before walking towards the couple who were about to share a kiss.

Clio and Loki shared a look before walking over to the two couple who was now annoyed at Darcy's interruption. Loki folded the umbrella when the rain stopped.

"Finally," Loki muttered.

Jane then saw Loki and gasped. "You're?"

"I am Loki, you may have heard of me…" The three of them flinched when Jane's fist connected to Loki's jaw.

"That was for New York," Jane growled and breathed heavily before delivering another punch. "That was for Clio."

The god of mischief stared at the brown-haired scientist incredulously before grinning wickedly and turning to Thor. "I like her," he said and Clio rolled her eyes at his statement. "Nice work. But you're the second mortal to ever land a punch on me – if you ever call that a punch," Loki stated before winking at Clio.

"Guys," Darcy called out gaining back their attention. "I'm pretty sure we are getting arrested."

Jane and Clio's eyes widened at her statement. "Right, hold that thought," Jane said before walking back to the police.

"I thought you talked to them?" Clio asked Darcy who shrugged.

"It's a private property," she answered then turned to Thor. "Look at you, all muscles and everything. How's space?"

Thor smiled uncertainly at her friend. "Space is fine," he answered.

"Shouldn't you be worried at your intern?" Clio asked as they all watched what was happening. One of the policemen was checking on Ian and the other was talking to Jane.

Then, everything was all too sudden. One minute, the police was talking to Jane and was about to grab her by the arm and the next thing she knew, she was being shielded by Loki as wave of red substances emitted from Jane making the policemen fly from the impact.

"Jane!" Thor called out and ran to her.

"Are you hurt?" Loki asked her as she straightened up. She shook her head and saw Thor helping Jane up.

"Place your hands on your head and step back!" The police officer ordered.

"This is not good," she muttered and Loki nodded in agreement.

"The woman is unwell," Thor reasoned out to the police officer who was trying to intimidate the god of thunder.

"She's dangerous!" said the police officer.

"So am I," Thor threatened then turned back to them. "Loki!" he called out before grabbing Jane by the waist.

"Let's go," Loki said and grabbed her arm.

"What? Wait," she tried to pull her arm from him but the next thing she knew, they were next to Thor and Jane before light descended upon them pulling them off the ground and into the sky.

When they landed, Clio realized she was back on Asgard. "Shit," she muttered.

"We have to do that again," Jane muttered with excitement; eyes were wide with amazement. It was the same expression she wore when she first landed on Asgard. "Hi," she greeted Heimdall when she realized he was staring at her.

"Welcome to Asgard, Lady Jane," he greeted back then turned to Clio. "Welcome back to Asgard, Lady Clio. I trust your stay in Midgard was fine?"

"Back?" asked Jane and Clio grinned at her sheepishly.

"That's what I've been dying to tell you and the reason why I went to London," Clio explained.

"Oh, you'll explain it to me in full details, Stark," Jane threatened making Clio roll her eyes.

"You need to go to the healing chambers first," Clio informed her.

Heimdall stepped in and looked at the two of them. "Both of you needed to go to the healing chambers. From my understanding, you are still unwell, Lady Clio."

"I'm fine," grumbled Clio. "The only thing I'm worried about now is my dad."

"Oh, do not worry! The Man of Iron will understand," Thor beamed.

"You don't know him when he's angry," Clio pouted and Jane chuckled nervously for her friend.

"I'm sure he's not that bad," Jane assured then tensed up at the horror that crossed Clio's face. "Right?"

 **Tony's POV**

"Achoo!" The meeting stopped by a sneezed and everyone turned to stare at the source. Wiping his nose with a tissue, Tony gestured for them to continue.

Pepper, who was beside him, put a hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong? Are you sick?"

Tony shook his head. "I don't think so. I just had a sudden chill." But his instinct suddenly kicked in and grabbed his phone from his pocket. He was forced to put it on silent mode by Pepper when he entered the meeting.

"We can go to the hospital after this," Pepper suggested as she watched Tony open his phone in annoyance but did not comment about it.

There was a text from his daughter and from Jarvis and Rhodey. He first read his daughter's and the moment he opened it, he cursed loudly making Pepper flinched and sighed and the others to stop talking.

"Excuse me?" one of the executives asked incredulously.

Tony ignored him and looked at Pepper. "Call Rhodey, right now!"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hey guys, so this one was a bit lengthy. 7k words count. I hope you guys like this one and tell me what you think. I haven't been able to update soon since I'm busy with a lot of things. So let me know what you think on this chapter :)

Black Moons Daughter: I got more of her new skills coming! Stay tuned!

MikazukiSuzuki: I'm so sorry it took so long! I haven't been able to finalize it since I was busy with stuff. But I hope you like this one. It's a bit lengthy. Tell me what you think!


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Marvel Franchise. I only own my OC's.**

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

 **Revelations**

"I am so glad you are back," Frigga said as they walk towards the garden with Loki towing them. "But I hear it is only temporary?"

Clio smiled sadly at the queen and nodded. "Yeah, my dad would be furious if he found out I traveled back here without notifying him. Well, I think he already knew by now." Just thinking about Tony she couldn't help but feel a little guilty. She did promise him she'll call when something happened. She wondered what he would do when she comes back from Asgard? She was almost 24 but knowing Tony, he'll ground her for this. He wasn't a strict father but she never tried to push her luck until this one.

The moment they entered the palace, Thor accompanied Jane to the healing chambers leaving her and Loki alone. She should have gone with them to talk to Healer Hilda but Frigga showed up and greeted them warmly.

"Do not worry about it, I'm sure your father will understand" Frigga assured then turned back to her son and smiled warmly. "My son, Clio was not able to see the beauty of the city when she was here. Shall you take her?"

Loki glanced at his mother and scowled slightly. "Mother, you know I do not want to go out of the palace," he answered.

Clio rolled her eyes at him. 'What a kill joy,' she thought. Sensing her exaggerated stare, he glared back at her as if trying to challenge him.

Frigga sighed and gave him a reprimanding look. "As the prince, it is your duty to go out of the palace too, my son."

"It's all right, Queen Frigga. I need to stay here to see if Jane is okay, anyway," Clio cut off before Frigga could say anything else.

The queen glanced at her with a look of contemplation on her face. That made the scientist raised an eyebrow at her.

"All right then," Frigga said before grinning at her and wink which was unnoticed by Loki who was staring at the dark-haired maiden. She suddenly felt uneasy at the wink. The queen was planning something, she was sure of it. "I'm sure Thor would want to tour Little Jane when she gets better. You should come with them. I'll ask Fandral to accompany you so you won't be left out by the two of them."

Both Loki and Clio tensed at the mention of the dashing man. Giving Loki a quick glance, she turned back to Frigga. "Uh," Clio began but Frigga raised her finger cutting her off.

"I have heard Fandral was quite smitten by you," Frigga added and Clio bit her lower lip nervously. But wait, why was she feeling nervous, anyway? Fandral was her friend. Even though she answered that she knew the reason she felt nervous was the god besides her who have not spoken at all since the mention of her friend.

Still, the giddy side of her made her want to see where it would go so she nodded at the queen's plan. "Well, I do like to see the city," she replied; her finger on her chin as if contemplating the idea. "Fandral would be a wonderful companion," She could feel Loki's incredulous stare at her from the corner of her eyes but chose to ignore it. It was really childish, she knew that but she couldn't help herself especially when it comes to making the god of mischief in his weakest moments.

"Then it settled. I'll ask Fandral to accompany you," Frigga cheered and was about to walk away from them when Loki stopped her.

"That's not necessary, mother," he interjected. "I'll be the one to accompany the mortal."

Clio's hands crossed on her chest. "I thought you said you don't want to go out of the palace?" she sneered. Loki opened his mouth to say something but she turned to Frigga who was watching them with amusement.

"Can't I change my mind? My mother did say I have responsibilities outside the palace," he replied coolly.

" _I have responsibilities outside the palace_ ," she repeated in a mocking tone. "You clearly were ready to throw that responsibility away awhile ago!"

"Don't push me, mortal," he warned. "If you want to get out of the palace, you can only do so when you are with me."

"What?!" she screeched. "Who died and made you king of everything? Don't answer that, it's supposed to be metaphorically," she quickly added when Frigga and Loki gave her a questioning look. "So, what? I don't get a say about this?"

"It's your call whether you want to see the city or not," Loki replied stubbornly.

Frigga chuckled lightly. "You two remind me of Odin and me when we were just on our courting phase," she commented. "You two would make a lovely couple," she added cheerily.

Clio flushed a deep red at the comment and tried not to look at the god besides her. She remembered his last night on Earth, the way he kissed her forehead and suddenly, she just wanted to be swallowed up the ground at just the thought. Her heart was racing rapidly.

Before one of them could retort back, an _Einhenjar_ approached them and bowed to the queen, not even bothering to spare a glance at Loki. Clio raised an eyebrow at the lack of respect of the guard towards their prince but Loki did not seem to be bothered by it and glanced at him coldly.

"My Queen, King Odin seeks the audience of the mortal," he addressed then turned slightly to her.

Queen Frigga nodded her head. "Then she shall be there soon."

The Einherjar bowed again only to the queen before walking away. The lack of respect to Loki bothered her greatly but did not voice it out. Was it because of his crimes on Earth that made them turned their back on their prince?

"What does he want now?" Loki inquired and Frigga only shook her head.

"I do not know, either. But we shall see once we get there," she said. Grabbing Clio's elbow gently, she guided them towards the part of the palace where Odin's throne room was located.

"Am I in trouble?" Clio asked breaking the silence. It was a rare moment where Odin would request her company. Even when she was in Asgard, she rarely sees the King anywhere. "Did I do something wrong?"

"You think too much," Loki sneered earning a glare from her.

"You did nothing in my knowledge. My husband seems to want to talk to you for other matters," Frigga assured her but it only doubles the anxiety she was feeling.

When they were in front of the throne room, an Einhenjar bowed to the Queen before opening the door. Still, the lack of respect over Loki really gnawed at her that she scowled at the guard. Loki, sensing something was bothering her, pushed her gently forward to the room.

The three of them bowed to Odin who was sitting on his throne. Frigga left her side and joined to stand next to her husband.

"I have heard that there are now two mortals here on Asgard," Odin began. She and Loki shared a side glance before the latter nodded his head in confirmation. "I have already tolerated bringing her here first and now Thor's mortal is here also."

"My king," Frigga called with a scowl on her face.

Odin did not spare her a glance and thus nodded at the guard nearby. "Send them back to Midgard at once!"

Clio's eyes widened when the Einherjar approached them. Loki grabbed her by the elbow and put her behind him. "Is she not our guest here?"

"She lost her privilege as our guest when she went back to Midgard," Odin informed giving again his orders to the guards.

Loki growled at him and glared at the Einherjar. "I will not let you touch her."

Clio clung to Loki's back as two more Einherjar approached them. Frigga gave her plea to Odin to which he ignored completely. Not even the threat of their prince could stop them.

"Do you dare defy me again, Loki?" Odin challenged and she felt the dark-haired god tensed at the question. She stared at the back of his head. She knew he wanted to be recognized and be respected by everyone. But if he did defy the All-father, every remaining respect from the people of Asgard to him will be lost. She bit her lower lip. She did not want that. She wanted Loki to feel he was capable of being loved and respected. The thought filled her with sadness. Who was she to be a hindrance to that?

"Loki," she called out. She shook her head, telling him to stop when he glanced at her slightly. Before she could voice out her decision, Thor barged in with Jane following behind him.

"My words are mere noises to you that you ignore them completely?" Odin asked to his firstborn as he and Jane walked towards them and bowed in respect.

"They are both ill," Thor reasoned out as they walked towards them. The two brothers glanced at each other and nodded before gazing back to their father.

"They are mortal," Odin stated as glared to both of his sons. "Illness is there defining traits."

"Not for her," Loki interjected and glanced at Clio behind him who was still clinging to his back. "You have seen the reports of Healer Hilda. Her genetics are malfunctioning due to the cause of the _Xhylorian_ in her system."

Clio's face scrunched in confusion at his statement. " _Xhylo-what_?" she repeated. Healer Hilda never mentioned this before to her. Did they know what was inside her from the beginning? That didn't make sense at all.

"It is only but a theory," Odin said calmly. "The _Xhyloria_ has extinguished 500 years ago. Not a single one survived the destruction of their planet," Odin snapped at his adopted son. "How can you say that this mortal managed to gain an _Xhylorian's genetics_?"

Clio, having heard enough, stepped forward. "What is going on? What are you guys talking about? No one ever told me about this," she said and glanced at Frigga who looked away from her. She turned her stare to Loki. "You knew about it? And you haven't told me?"

Loki stared at her for a moment before turning back to Odin making her grunt in annoyance. "And what if she really has it?"

"Then the right matters needed to be done. I have tolerated Thor bringing the first mortal here out of the kindness of what she has done to you. Now, that was repaid, she can go back to Midgard."

"She has an apprenticeship under Healer Hilda," Loki informed him with gritted teeth.

"An apprenticeship that she ignored when she went back to Midgard without informing her teacher!" Odin's voice boomed to the entire throne room.

"Please, hear our reason," Thor began and took a step forward. "I need to be assured that Jane is safe and out of harm's way. I brought her here so we can help her"

"She does not belong here in Asgard any more than a goat belongs to the banquet table," Odin insulted.

Jane gasped then turned to Thor. "Did he just call me...? Who do you think you are?" she asked at Odin. Clio stared at her friend incredulously and grabbed her arm. "What?" she muttered to her.

"I am Odin, King of Asgard, protector of the nine realms," Odin answered making Jane's face pale and her mouth forming into an 'o'.

"Well… I'm…"

"I know very well who you are, Jane Foster," Odin cut her off. Jane stared at Clio with a wide grin that confused the latter before turning to her lover.

"You told your dad about me?" she asked with a wide smile, a blush crept on her face. Clio face-palmed herself at what just transpired.

"Something is within her, Father. Unlike Lady Clio, what's within Jane is something I have not seen before," Thor reasoned out.

"They have healers in Midgards and they are called the doctor. Let them deal with it," Odin barked.

Loki shook his head in disbelief, "Do you really intend to send them back to Midgard after you call yourself the protector of the nine realms?"

"My decision is final; the two of them will go back to Midgard. Guards," he called out again and the Einherjar nearest to Jane grabbed her by the elbow. Thor's warning was too late when suddenly powerful energy burst out of Jane. She was slammed back to Loki but thankfully, the latter having godly powers, held his stance and grabbed her shoulder. The Einherjar was not lucky as he lay a few feet away from them sprawled on the floor.

Before Jane collapse, Thor caught her and laid her down gently on the floor. "Jane, are you all right?" The lady in question nodded her head but the discomfort was evident on her face. Clio walked to them and kneeled next to her friend to check her vitals.

Odin, regaining his shock, stood from his throne and walked over to them with an alarming speed. Frigga followed her husband. He grabbed Jane's arm and slowly ran his hand over it. A red glowing substance was seen on her veins that even Clio knew that was not blood.

"It's impossible," Odin muttered as he glanced at Thor.

"What is it?" Clio asked as she kneeled next to her friend who was waning consciousness. "Did she acquire some kind of an infection too?"

"The infection is defending her?" Loki suggested but Thor shook his head and glanced at his brother.

"It's defending itself," Thor corrected then glanced at Clio. "Much like yours," he told her.

Clio scowled at his statement. "What do you mean?"

Frigga spoke up behind them, "The night before you went back to Midgard, as we were walking back to our rooms, we heard you screaming and thought you were under attacked or having one of your usual attacks. We entered your room to find you having a nightmare. Both my sons tried to wake you up but there was a blast of energy that came from your body and sends both of them off," Frigga explained.

Clio glanced at Thor and Loki incredulously. So that was why they were on the floor when she woke up and Loki's protective stance to his mother when she approached her.

All of these revelations yet Loki did not even try to tell her? She suddenly felt betrayed. He was with her in Earth for three days yet he did not voice it out? What? Did they intend to keep it from her? A sudden surge of anger rushed through her that even she was surprised by it.

' _They betrayed you,'_ a voice echoed in her head. _'Some friends they are.'_

"Is it possible that she acquired the same substance that was injected on you?" Thor asked getting back to the topic. Clio glanced back at Thor.

"No, that's not possible," she answered as she shook her head, trying to focus. "I kept the 'thing' inside my lab and if Jane managed to acquire it, she would not have last this long without an antidote."

"That's right," Odin said. "It is not the same as yours," he added as he glanced back at her. "Follow me."

Thor helped Jane stand up as Odin walked over to another door.

Clio spared a glance at Loki before proceeding to follow the king. She heard the latter sigh at her actions but nonetheless, he did not try to approach her.

The five of them followed the king as he opened the door. Her eyes widened in fascination at the room.

She felt Frigga besides her and hooked their arms together. "This is Yggdrasil," she informed her in a hushed tone. "The circles above represent each of the realms."Clio nodded her head. She also felt betrayed by the queen's lack of information about her health. Sensing her lack of response, the queen sighed. "I did not intend to upset you by keeping your condition as a secret, child. It is that we are just not sure about it yet and we do not want to worry you."

"I know," she answered then turned back to Frigga. "I'm just a little bit upset about it. It'll pass, My Queen." She gave her a reassuring smile but Frigga knew otherwise and squeezed her hand gently before turning to the All-father who was now speaking.

"There are relics that predate the universe itself," Odin began as they stopped at a table. "What lies within her appears to be one of them," he added as he opened the only book that was present on top of the table.

Jane glanced at her worriedly and Clio gave her friend a reassuring smile to lessen it. Returning back her smile, they both turned to the All-father. In the corner of her eye, she could see Loki standing a distance away from her but could feel his stare.

"The nine realms are not eternal. They have a dawn and they have dusk. But before that dawn, the dark forces Dark Elves reigned absolute and unchallenged." All of them, except Frigga who must have read this book long ago, glanced towards the pictures drawn inside it. There were writings next to the picture that was written in Old Norse that both of the Midgardian women did not understand.

If this was a normal circumstance were she and Jane would only just be looking at silly pictures or memes on Earth, they both would have laughed out loud at the picture of the dark elves that looked like Teletubbies. As if thinking the same, Jane glanced at her with amusement dancing in her eyes.

 _"Born of the eternal night for the dark elves come to steal away the light,"_ Thor read then glanced at his brother.

"This is the stories mother told us about when we were children," Loki supplied and Frigga nodded to her two boys.

"Their leader, Malekith, made a weapon out of that darkness and it was called the Aether," continued Odin as he turned another page of the book. "While the other relics often appear as stones, the Aether is fluid and ever-changing. It changes matter into dark matter. It seeks out host bodies drawing strength from their life force. Malekith sought to use the Aether's power to return the universe to one of darkness." Odin paused and glanced at them all as if seeing whether they were following his story or not. "But after eternities of bloodshed, my father, Bor, finally triumphed ushering in a peace that lasted thousands of years."

"What happened?" Jane prompted making the All-father turn to her.

"He killed them all," he stated simply making the hair on Clio's arms stood up.

"Are you certain? You said the Aether's been destroyed with them and yet here it is," Thor said. Odin looked at his firstborn with a grim expression before sighing.

"The dark elves are dead," he stated that part only but left the question of the Aether unanswered. She couldn't help but glance at Loki who happened to stare at her at the same time.

"Does your book happen to mention how to get it out of me?" Jane asked.

"No," Odin answered. "It does not." With that, the All-father turned and made an exit back to the throne room.

A deafening silence befalls to the four of them as they absorbed Odin's words. Walking towards Jane, she pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back. The astrophysicist stayed silent but did not push her away.

"Come," Frigga spoke at last to the two of them. "Let us go get fresh air." Giving her sons a glance, she managed to make all of them walk out of the room. "Let us lighten up the mood. Thor, would you like to tour Jane around?"

"That would be a great idea, Mother," Thor stated finally with a smile. He grabbed Jane's hand and squeezed it gently before placing a kiss. A blush spread over Jane's cheek at the sudden show of affection in front of them. "Would you like to come with us, Little Clio?"

"Stop calling me 'Little Clio'. I'm not a child," she chided earning a chuckle from the god of thunder but nonetheless nodded at his request.

"Brother, are you coming?" Thor asked and Loki only grunted in response.

Bowing to the queen in curtsies, the four of them walked along the great halls of the palace with Thor holding Jane and Clio walking behind them. A few steps away from her was Loki. Thor was jubilantly talking to Jane who eagerly listened to all his stories. She was very happy for the both of them now that they finally had the time with each other. But still, a thought was nagging at the back of her mind and tried to push it away.

Clio shut them out as her mind drifted to the revelation in the throne room. Should she confront Hilda about it? Was this findings of her a terrible news that they had to be kept away from her?

They turned to the courtyard where many of the nobles happily chatting with each other. Seeing both the princes, they bowed to them and greeted the eldest whilst ignoring the youngest. This also bothered Clio. Thor seemed to notice the lack of respect of the nobles to his brother and ushered them to another hallway where the statues of the great kings were located. Thor continued talking about his grandfather, Bor.

She made a mental note to ask Frigga about that. Speaking of which, she also made a mental note to ask the queen about the _Xhylorian_ they were talking about. Judging from Odin's statement a while ago, _Xhylorian_ is another alien species. The company she had worked with acquired it in Arizona near a meteor crater. She did not believe in aliens then and ruled that one out of her theory. And what about the energy they were talking about that burst out of her? Was that one of the _Xhylorian's_ power activating inside her system? So it really was true, she was becoming more of an alien than a human. That thought sent a stream of a headache.

' _You thought they were trying not to make you worry?'_ A voice mocked inside her head. ' _You are dangerous, that's why. They will try and kill you in your sleep.'_

"Shut up," she muttered to herself and felt a sudden chill ran down her body. What was happening to her?

' _You know what you should do?'_ The voice continued to mock her. _'You should kill them before they kill you.'_

"Shut up," she exclaimed a little louder.

"Pardon?" Thor asked a little aghast when he thought she was talking to him.

"Clio?"Jane called out. "Are you okay?" Loki stared at her grimly before walking towards her. She took a step back away from him.

"Y-Yeah," she answered giving her friend a weak smile. "I think I should head back to my room."

"What's wrong?" Loki asked as he put a hand on her forehead feeling her.

She stared at him for a while before glancing back to her feet with a scowl. "Nothing," she muttered. Not believing her, Loki grabbed her by the elbow and turned to look at the two.

"I will be bringing her to the healing chambers," he announced. Clio glanced back up to him and glared.

"I said it's nothing," she hissed. Loki glared back at the woman in front of him before dragging her to where the healing chambers are located.

"You go on without us," Loki called out to his brother.

"Please take care of her, brother!" Thor called back out before the two disappeared to another hallway.

When they were away from their friends, Loki pulled her gently and leaned her towards a wall. "What is wrong with you?" he asked with a scowl.

"Nothing," she muttered and tried to sidestep her way out but he slammed a hand next to her trapping her to a wall.

"You're angry with me," he stated and gazed at her grey eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me what was happening to me?" she growled. "You were with me in Earth for three days for god's sake!"

Loki sighed and closed his eyes tight before glancing back at her. "We were taking precautions."

"Precautions, my ass! This is my body, Loki! I am a scientist! I need to know what was happening but instead, you kept it from me. Why? Because it's dangerous?" she lashed out angrily and tried to shove his arm away. She could feel hot tears brimming in her eyes and she needed to get away from him because the voice that was in her head was starting to get louder. They were already ordering her to kill Loki. But Loki saw this and pulled her to him.

"Calm down, now," Loki hushed as she buried her face on his leather clothing. "I will tell you everything if you calm down."

She heaved a sigh and did as she told. Loki's scent wafted her nostril and inhaled it deeply as she felt the voices quiet down. "What is happening to me?" she asked in confusion. Loki tightened his arms around her and she suddenly felt they were transported. She pulled away from him when the scent of blooming flowers wafted around them.

"Come," Loki held her hand as he motioned for her to sit down next to him on the grass. He shifted from his position so he could face her.

" _Xhyloria_ is a planet outside the nine realms that was under Asgard's protection before it was destroyed by Bor, Odin's father," Loki began.

Clio scowled at him. "Why?"

"It's because of their unique prowess and violent nature. There are two types of _Xhylorian_ : the pure and the corrupted. The pure one has the power of the foresight and is said to be subtle but they can be easily turned into their corrupted forms while the corrupted one has a bloodlust which is known to be unlimited. The pure ones ruled over their planet _Xhyloria_ and, for hundreds of centuries, lived in peace. The corrupted ones, having had enough of the pure ones suppressing their bloodlust, massacred every pure living in _Xhyloria_."

"That's horrible," Clio commented as she absorbed every information the god gave her. A sudden chill ran down her spine at the thought of the species. If it was inside her system, would she turn into them too?

Loki shrugged. "That's why Bor destroyed them," Loki continued.

Clio scowled at him. "Then the reason why you were not telling me is?"

"To keep you from being corrupted quickly; as I've said both types of the _Xhylorian_ are violent in nature. The pure ones can control their bloodlust while the corrupted ones cannot. I know you wouldn't like that," Loki said and grabbed her hand.

"Do you know what type of _Xhylorian_ is inside me?" she asked and Loki shook his head.

"No," he answered.

"Isn't the best way to do now is to kill me?" she muttered and Loki sighed and stared at her in all his seriousness.

"Normally that would be the best way but my mother is against it," he stated and Clio glanced at him then pulled her hands from him.

"I don't want to turn into that," she muttered and Loki nodded in agreement with her statement.

"Neither do I," he said. "But my brother and I won't let anything harm done to you."

"What will happen to me? Can you take it out?" she asked.

"We do not know yet," he said truthfully and Clio only nodded. "Trust us on this. We will help you."

' _Don't trust them,'_ hissed the voice inside her head. She tensed up when it spoke again. So, the voice inside her head was not the effect of the antidote but the microorganism that was growing inside her. She can't go back to Earth like this; especially if she was a threat to her homeworld. 'Stop it!' she thought and for a moment the voice was quiet.

' _They'll kill you!'_

' _They'll betray you!'_

' _We need to save ourselves!'_

It was so overwhelming that she felt her breath hitched up at their voices. It was echoing inside her head and closed her eyes for it to stop. Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest and she felt her hands itch something to strangle. She could see red behind her eyelids. The urge to see that crimson color was so strong that she shivered. A gasp escaped her lips when she felt cold hands her own. Suddenly, the voices were gone. Suddenly, the green hues were all that matter instead of the crimson color. Suddenly, her heart calmed down and everything was peaceful again. Suddenly, he's all that matters.

"I got you."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hey, everybody! How's everyone doing? I hope you enjoyed the last chapter because I got low responses about it. But hey, this is what I get for not updating for so long! I hope you enjoyed this one also!

 **MikazukiSuzuk** **i** **:** Aw! Thank you! I was busy with graduation and stuff and now I'm preparing for my review so I'll be a little bit busy but I'll definitely update as soon as I can.

 **GuestLoki:** I know! I hope you didn't get tired of reading that long chapter HAHA. I'm so glad you love it!


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Marvel Franchise. I only own my OC's.**

* * *

 **Chapter 16**

 **Tony's POV**

He paced back and forth with his hands inside his slack's pocket swearing now and then. Both Pepper and Rhodey watched him exhaust himself.

"Tony," Pepper called out making the billionaire stop and glanced at his girlfriend. "Maybe she went back to Asgard. Fury did say his men reported they saw Thor with her before they disappeared."

"That's not the point," Tony said and sighed before running his fingers on his hair. "She was supposed to call me but instead she only left me a text saying they were looking for her friend, who is Thor's girlfriend, missing for four hours and that text was what? Three? Four hours ago?"

"Six, actually," Rhodey supplied for his best friend.

Tony clicked his tongue and pointed at Rhodey, "You see? Ugh! Is this what I get for being a horrible father to her?" he complained as he sat down with his fingers raking his hair.

"Horrible?" Pepper exclaimed; her face scrunched in surprise. "Honey, you are not a horrible father to her," Pepper said softly as she rubbed his back.

"I am," he grumbled as he sighed. "How many times did I make her worry because of my recklessness? You saw how she was so disappointed when she got here right?"

"I think that would be a normal reaction if she has a father like you," Rhodey muttered making Pepper roll her eyes and Tony groan.

"Remember that time when she was sick? You have a board meeting with one of our biggest client yet you didn't show up just to stay by her side until she gets well. Oh and that time when she was 10 years old at her first science fair competition, she never got to be the champion but you made her feel that she was," Pepper told her boyfriend. "You see, you are not horrible. You are the hero in her life. Besides, Clio would have a fit if she ever hears you say those."

"You bet she would," Rhodey added.

Tony sighed as he contemplated their words. "Yeah, you're right," he muttered. He turned to his best friend. "So what's our plan in this one?"

"Nothing," he answered making Tony raised his brow. "You just got to trust your own daughter."

 **~0~**

Clio groaned when the sunlight glared at her. Squinting, she saw the blinds of her balcony door were open. It must be late in the morning; she drifted to sleep very late last night thinking of the revelations she learned. She stretched her muscles and groaned in pleasure when she felt her joints pop. Her head turned to the other side of her bed and saw it empty and the pillows and blankets were tucked neatly.

She sat up slowly while wondering where Jane went. Walking towards the bathroom, she prepared herself for the day. She decided she'll be going to the healing chamber and talk to Healer Hilda about her conditions. The healer must have a theory on how to get it out of her system and she was planning to help her if that was the case.

Last night, she decided to let things cool off since Loki clearly stated their reasons for keeping it to her. But that doesn't mean she would forget about it. She still felt betrayed and thanks to Loki, the voices stopped. Speaking of voices, she couldn't understand why just the touch of Loki could calm it. Was there any scientific explanation to that? Well, she never mentioned it to anyone about the voices yet, not even Loki.

While dressing up into a light blue dress that was present in her closet, she couldn't help but admire it. It was something like a renaissance dress that princesses wore daily. She never was fond of dresses but it was something she needed to get used to since she was staying here in Asgard.

While she walked towards the healing chambers, she wondered where Loki and the others could be. Breakfast passed an hour ago so there was no point in going to the dining area and looked for them there.

She knocked softly at the door of the healing chambers when she arrived before opening it. There were only two patients there and she spotted her healer quickly.

"Ah, Lady Clio, it's wonderful to see you again," she greeted and bowed slightly when she stopped in front of her. "How have you been?"

"I'm fine, thank you," she answered then smiled at the older lady. "I wanted to apologize for just vanishing like that."

"Nonsense," Hilda said as she waved it off. She motioned for her to sit on the healing bed as she arranged her equipment. "Your friend was here a while ago. She was brought by the prince. Healer Eir came to her aid."

Clio glanced at her healer with a worried look. "Is she okay?"

"She was unconscious for a while before she woke up. It seems that the Aether is feeding on her life force," Healer Hilda explained as she waved her hands in front of her and an orange substance or particles burst from her body. "The queen told me you already know the truth?"

Clio pursed her lips and nodded in answer. "It was only but a theory at first but the queen told me of the energy force that emitted from you as a line of defense. It was one of the Xhylorian traits."

"I still don't get this Xhylorian stuff," she muttered.

"Xhylorian was an alien species that has the trait in multiplying by spreading their DNA molecules inside their targeted host," Hilda started. Clio scowled at her statement. "Usually, they used that for killing. When the microorganism entered the host's body, they will attack from the inside."

"So you mean that molecule or microorganism is the one responsible for my condition?" she asked and Hilda nodded in answer. "If that's the case, then it's like a normal microorganism that feeds on the host. What does it feed on?"

Hilda glanced at her grimly that even Clio feared what the answer would be. Was it really bad enough? "It feeds on hatred and fear and even depression. That's why we need you to be careful. Xhylorian have the ability to take away their host's will. They are very dangerous creatures and that is why the former king destroyed them all. It is said that it only takes one corrupted Xhylorian to massacre an entire city overnight."

Clio stared at her healer in horror. "H-How do you get it off me?" she asked.

"It is only but a legend, child," Hilda assured but still the thought of killing others sent shiver down her spine. "If we take it off you, there's a big possibility that you might die."

"It's better to die than to kill!" she exclaimed and shook her head. "I can't do that. I'm just a scientist! I help others and I don't kill."

' _Kill! Kill! Kill!'_ the voice repeated like a mantra inside her head. It was so strong that she almost joined their mantra out loud.

"Calm down, child. Please, do not stress yourself," Hilda quickly said when she saw her starting to panic. "There is a way for you to control it."

She breathed heavily as she wiped her face with her hand. "What way?" she asked.

Healer Hilda put a hand on her shoulders and used her magic to calm her down. "You need to learn the art of meditation to focus only on your will."

"How will I achieve that?" she asked as she shook her head trying to get the voices to shut up. Hilda's magic was working on her. The voices that were clouding up her mind started to dissipate.

"The art of meditation is a type of magic that helps you with the equilibrium between your mind, body, and soul. A soul forge can also help you but in the middle of battle, you need to learn how to forge your own soul without the help of anyone. The queen is known for her brilliant skills in magic. She can help you master this art and once you do, even if the microorganism tripled its power, it can no longer control you," Hilda explained as she watched the young scientist absorbed everything she said.

"I have already informed the queen of this. She will want you to be ready anytime," Hilda continued and Clio could only nod her head.

"I want to start as soon as possible," she announced. Hilda stared at her for a moment before nodding.

"The queen arranged your schedule. Tomorrow you will resume your lessons with me in the morning so I will want you to come early," she said as she eyed her. Usually, she would always come in late for their lessons due to the distance between her room and the healing chambers. Hilda never seemed to be bothered by it until now. "In the afternoon, the queen will train you until evening," she added.

"I'm okay that," she said. "What do you want me to do today?"

"Rest easy," Hilda replied and waved her hand again making the floating particles vanished. "Your body seemed fine at the moment except for the sudden rush of adrenaline in your blood when you started panicking," she informed.

Clio suddenly had a thought. "We should still continue administering the antidote," she said after a while.

Hilda raised an eyebrow. "Why is that? Does it still harm you?"

Clio shook her head in response. "No, but it can slow down the progress, remember? Until I can master this art that you say, isn't better if it slowed down?"

Hilda thought about it for a moment. "That's actually a brilliant idea," Hilda said then moved over to her desk and brought out the antidote she was referring to. "We should administer it to you today."

Clio nodded. She was about to grab the tourniquet when Hilda spoke. "That won't be necessary," she said and opened the bottle. "Hold out your hand," she instructed. She shook the bottle and out came a small green pill. Clio stared at it in wonder before glancing back at her healer who was grinning at her proudly. "While you were at Midgard, I managed to come up with an easier way to administer it in your system. Despite your healing capabilities, the bruises were starting to show a lot," she explained and pointed at the area where they kept on injecting it to her. There was an area that was already bluish-violet in color and Clio cringed at the sight before pulling down her sleeve.

"Thanks for this," Clio said and held up the pill before swallowing it.

"Keep this bottle," Hilda instructed and handed her the green bottle. She took it and put it on the pocket of her dress."And make sure you eat plenty of foods. Do not skip any meals."

"Yeah," she muttered before waving her a goodbye. "Oh, where is my friend, by the way?" She asked before she could open the door.

"After she woke up, she and Thor left the healing chambers. I do not know where," she answered. Clio nodded before walking out and sighed. 'Where could she be?' she thought. She was slightly expecting for the voice to answer but was surprised that none of it came. Maybe the pill worked its magic.

She walked along the long hallway when she decided to go to the library. Maybe she could read something about this Xhylorian thing. As she walked towards the direction of the library, she noticed few guards were stationed.

"That's odd," she muttered as she turned around the corner. "Usually there'd be more guards stationed here."

"Where do you think you're off to?" a voice spoke behind her and she squeaked in surprise before turning to glare at the grinning god of mischief.

"I thought I told you to stop doing that?" she demanded and glared at him.

"It's not my fault that you're scared of everything," he said as he walked past her. Grumbling to her breath, she followed suit. "Are you heading to the library?"

"Yeah," she answered and Loki nodded.

"I was on my way there also. Did Healer Hilda put you into a reading session?" he asked politely with his hands on his back as they walked together.

"Uh, no," she answered truthfully. "I was planning on reading more of this Xhylorian stuff."

"I can recommend some books if you would like that," he suggested without glancing at her.

Clio stared at his back suspiciously. "You're quite being civilized today. What happened?" she asked and Loki turned to stare at her with a raised eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Usually, you'd start annoying me to no ends but now you are quite… polite," she remarked.

"I'm offended. I'm always polite," he interjected as they stopped in front of the library.

"Not to me, you're not," she said with a grin. "Especially when we were in Earth; you enjoyed annoying me and my dad." They entered the library and walked between shelves.

"That's because you both looked horrendous when annoyed," he said nonchalantly as he stopped by a shelf and grabbed something from the top.

"Hey!" she argued. "You look more horrendous than me," she argued back very lamely that she cringed inwardly.

"Nonsense, I am always known for my good looks," he said and Clio scoffed at his statement. "What? You don't believe me?" he asked before giving her the book he got. "You can start looking for what you seek here in this book. I'll be over there if you will need me," he said and pointed to a section of the library that was slightly dark.

"What are you reading?" she asked and Loki flicked her forehead. She grunted and rubbed the part of her forehead that he flicked.

"None that matters to you, mortal; now go and study that," he ordered and Clio pouted at him.

"You never once called me by my name," she complained but did as she told. She sat down on a chair and started reading. Loki gave a small smile to the little lady before him. He may not notice it but she sure wormed her way into his heart and made a special seat for herself. Sighing, he turned around and resumed what he came to the library for.

 **~0~**

"Concentrate, child. You need only to focus on the swirling energy that was starting from your stomach," Frigga lectured and for the nth time, Clio tried her hardest but she just can't grasp what the queen was talking about.

"Maybe it's different for me," Clio said in frustration. "I've been trying this for the whole day yesterday and now but I don't know how to do it. I can't feel any energy on my stomach." Their first lecture includes clearing her mind of everything then they went into the next step which was this. She skipped dinner that night and went to bed due to exhaustion. She never got to see Jane anymore because when she woke up the next morning, she would be gone.

"Patience," Frigga reprimanded as she put a hand on her shoulder. "Your frustration is getting in the way. I told you to clear your mind. Never think of failure. Just focus on your goal. Now, let's try again." Frigga put her hand on Clio's stomach as the latter closed her eyes and did as she told.

"Try to listen to the whirring sound inside," Frigga continued. Clio clenched her fist and tried to listen to what the queen was telling her to. She could feel the sweat breaking from her skin. She was already getting frustrated but she tried to put that down at the back of her head and focus. At first, there was no whirring sound but then she heard a faint buzzing.

She tried to make it louder but something cut her off suddenly that made her gasp and was thrown off from where she was sitting but nonetheless a grin broke out her face. A slow clap was heard in the room and she turned and saw Frigga grinning as well. "Not bad," she complimented and offered her hand to pull her up.

"That was awesome," she muttered still out of breath. Once she was up on her feet, she swayed a little and felt a little dizzy. Frigga grabbed her elbow to steady her.

"Now, you take a rest. It's been a long day," she said as they walk out of the training room with the queen still guiding her by the elbow.

"What should I do next?" Clio asked as she glanced to the sky and saw that the sun was still up. Yesterday, they finished late at night already.

"We'll proceed on how you make a steady flow while in distress. You should practice now and then but never go past your limit. This type of magic can suck out your life force if you're not careful," Frigga warned to which the dark-haired scientist nodded in understanding.

"I can't believe I managed to do that," she said with a grin. "I thought humans can't do magic or stuff?"

"Everyone has magic inside them. In human's case, their magic consists of their spiritual sense," Frigga explained as they walked. "It is so faint that humans think they have none," she added. They stopped next to a pillar and faced her with a smile. "We finished quite early today, why don't you go take the remaining day off with Thor and Jane. I heard they are resting in the garden."

"Nice idea," she stated with a nod. She bowed slightly to the queen in respect before rushing off towards where the garden was located. When she got there, Thor and Jane were leaning on a tree and talking. They were not the only ones there as they sat and watched the warrior three and Lady Sif practicing their sword fight. She was surprised to even see Loki sitting next to the fountain reading a book.

Jane saw her first and waved. "Clio!" she greeted and ran up to her to hug her. Everyone stopped what they were doing and watched them for a while. She saw Loki closed his book and stood up also. She hadn't seen him, Thor, the Warrior Three, and Lady Sif the moment she started her training with Frigga. Though, it's only been just two days she couldn't help herself but miss them. "I barely get to see you anymore," Jane said and pouted at her.

"Uh, yeah, sorry about that. I was practicing my energy," Clio answered and smiled at her friend before glancing back at Thor who was walking up to them. "But you seemed quite occupied most of the time to notice my absence," she teased. Jane blushed but nevertheless smiled widely at her.

"Lady Clio, it is nice to see you again!" Thor greeted and ruffled her hair which made her grin widely. The warrior three and Sif made their way towards them also and exchanged pleasantries with them.

"How are you, fair lady?" Fandral asked as he grabbed her hand and kissed it. Clio, already used to Fandral's antics, rolled her eyes along with Jane and Sif.

"I'm fine, O'dashing Gentleman," she played along with a slight bow to which erupted a laughter between the gentries except for Loki and Hugon, and a giggle from the ladies. "So, what are you guys up to today?"

"We wanted to take Little Jane here to the lake down by the forest. It's good timing you finished early, Lady Clio, for we could take you with us," Volstagg stated.

"All of us?" she asked then eyed Loki who never left his post and was standing there watching them.

"We could always leave Loki behind if you would want, My Lady," Frandral joked earning a grunt from the said god.

"That won't be necessary," she snapped a little bit then blushed when Fandral raised an eyebrow at her tone. "I mean, no, I'd love for us to go together." She turned to Thor and smiled. She couldn't help but feel a little protective over Loki. She hadn't got the chance to ask Frigga why people were different in front of the god.

"Then it's settled," Thor stated and turned to his brother. "Should we go there by foot?"

Loki rolled his eyes. "Only if you intended to reach our destination by nighttime," he stated.

"To the stables, then!" Thor announced and they all agreed to it.

 **~0~**

Their ride to the lake was very uncomfortable to the two Midgardian women who were wearing a dress. Thor offered Jane to ride on his and the latter agreed to it. Fandral had asked her multiple times to which she declined politely. Thor gave her Armelia to her delight but since she was wearing a dress it was still an uncomfortable ride and made the others slow down to accommodate her pace.

Loki never once tried to talk to her, which was frustrating since he was always behind her or a little bit farther from her. The last time they had a conversation was in the library a few days ago. Despite being together inside the library that time, they never engaged in a conversation as both of them were busy studying. It was only interrupted when Jane and Thor burst inside and announced it was time for dinner. But that was it. Was he having those moments again where he hates everyone? 'What a frustrating fellow,' she thought. Sighing, she veered Armelia towards Loki's horse and instantly the god raised an eyebrow at her. They were behind the others who were talking to each other and did not notice them.

"So what's your deal this time?" she asked getting to the point.

"What do you mean?" he asked back innocently.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You haven't said a word since I arrived," she stated.

"Well, you were too busy flirting with that flirt of a man over there to notice me even, right?" he snapped at her which made Clio raised her eyebrow at his statement.

"You mean Fandral?" she asked again and this time Loki rolled his eyes.

"Who else would it be? Volstagg?Hugon?" he sassed.

"Are you being serious right now?" She gaped at him as a realization hit her. She could feel her face heating up as she said the words that she should not have said out loud but could not help herself. "You're jealous again," she stated.

"I told you, I'm not jealous of that man," he hissed earning a wide grin from Clio.

"So, you don't mind if I go there and start a conversation with him? You seemed to be annoyed with me, I can't have that," she mocked earning a glare from Loki.

"Who said you were annoying me?" Loki asked back and veered his horse closer to her. "You just got talking to me now you want to start a conversation with him?"

"Why are you against Fandral?" she asked with her eyebrow raised at him in question.

"I am not against with him. I just don't like his ways of dealing with women," he stated with a scrunched nose. "It disgusts me."

Clio rolled her eyes but gave Loki a smile. "Well, I think he was just playing around."

Loki never commented back as they cleared out of the forest. Her eyes gazed in wonder at the sight of the beautiful lake up ahead. "Wow," she muttered as the water glistened due to the afternoon sun.

A laugh bubbled up her throat when Fandral and Volstagg went down of their horses quickly and raced towards the water with the latter faring behind the dashing man. She watched as both men jumped into the water while Sif was reprimanding them that they did not bring any clothes.

She watched Thor set Jane down from their horse with ease. Suddenly, she, with her flowing dress, did not know how to get off. Cursing her dress, she tried to pull it up in ease when hands grabbed her waist and pulled her down. She was surprised to see Loki as he pulled away from her and grabbed the reins of both their horses to tie into a tree.

"Armelia tends to run off sometimes," he commented as they made their way to the others.

"She's very lovely," she replied and looked back at the white horse that was now resting beside Loki's horse. "So, you come here often?" she asked the others when they settled on a rock. Volstagg and Fandral started a competition as to who can get more fishes while Sif picked up their armor for it to not get wet.

"Yes, this is where we usually train," Thor answered and Clio nodded.

"It's beautiful," Jane commented.

"I'm glad you like it," Thor stated and smiled at his beloved. Jane smiled back and leaned over to Thor.

"Guys, please," Clio complained. "Not here," she added that made the two grin at her.

"Lady Clio, Lady Jane!" Fandral called out. They all turned to the man who was waving at them. "You should join us, the water is fine today."

"We loved to but we did not bring extra clothes," Clio pointed out.

"That's a shame," Fandral replied then grinned mischievously. "Or are you just scared of water?"

"Hardly," she said and rolled her eyes at him. "I once won first place in swimming competition at our school," she boasted.

"Really?" Jane asked and Clio nodded. "I thought you're all science and geeky stuff."

"Unlike you," she joked making her friend chuckle.

"But still, you're missing the nice water here," he pointed out.

Clio thought about it for a moment then glanced back at Jane. "He has a point," she said giving her a grin.

Jane's eyes widened when Clio stood up. "We have no extra clothes here!" she pointed out then gasped when Clio tore her dress from the ankle up to her knees making it shorter. Then grabbing her sleeves, she tore it off her too. Even Hogun raised his brows in surprise.

"What are you doing?" Loki asked as she threw the fabric on the ground. He stood up and started taking off his tunic coat and tried covering her up.

"I'm going swimming," she replied and pushed the coat back to him. "Come on, Janey!" she beckoned. "We'll never know when we are going back here."

Hesitantly, Jane stood up. Thor smiled at her and gave her a push. "Well, might as well join you, guys," Thor said and started peeling his armor.

Jane blushed a deep red at the sight before getting pulled by Clio. Sif chuckled a bit before getting pulled also by the dark-haired woman. "You too, Sif!"

The three of women jumped in the water in glee. When they resurfaced, they were laughing at each other. Fandral gave a whoop and Volstagg cheered.

A loud splash indicated Thor joined the water too. "I feel we are going to get in trouble with the Queen for this!" Sif informed them and all of them laughed.

Clio turned to the shore and watched Loki watching them with a grim expression. "Loki, come on!" she beckoned to the god who only sighed and went back to sit on the rock.

"Don't mind him, my lady," Fandral said as he splashed water at her face making her shriek. She gave her revenge by splashing it back at him.

Laughter could be heard within the group as the others played with each other. Loki never once tried to go near the water. They were laughing at Volstagg's joke when suddenly she felt a chilling shiver ran down her spine.

' _You think you can keep me away? I'm part of you now,'_ the voice whispered inside her head. Her eyes widened at the familiar terrifying chill than ran down past her spine. She swallowed the lump on her throat. It was back. How come it was back when she just managed to control her energy a while ago with Frigga? Did she lose control while she was having fun?

Shaking her head, she tried to control the energy on her stomach but the noises around her kept her from focusing. She was also trying to keep afloat to the surface so controlling it was harder than she thought. She smiled when Sif glanced her way.

' _You can't do it. Why don't you just accept that I will always be here?'_ the voice taunted.

'Shut up,' she thought.

' _Yes, that's it! You should acknowledge my presence!'_ the voice cheered. _'Now, let's kill them all!'_

Her chest was tightening as the voice grew louder. From a distance, Thor laughed at Fandral's joke. Then finally, she managed to summon her energy on her stomach.

'Don't let it get the best of you,' she thought as she started hearing the same buzzing noise from before.

' _Don't do that!'_ commanded the voice but she only intensified the energy she was feeling. _'I've had enough with this!'_ To her horror, a force pulled her deep in the water. She tried to resurface but she was going down fast.

The remaining air in her lungs was already depleting and she struggled to get to the surface. She needed to breathe.

' _Release me so I can save you,'_ she heard the voice said. She shook her head as she grabbed her throat.

For the last time, she tried to control her energy. Her stomach started growing hot. There was a soft tingling on her stomach before it traveled to different parts of her body. It was so overwhelming. With a big push of her energy, she succeeded in pushing away the sinister energy and voice away from her mind.

She could feel the energy from the different parts of her body but then a hand grasped her shoulder. Suddenly, the energy that she felt started dissipating back to her body as if someone was trying to push it back. Bubbles erupted from her mouth as the remaining air from her lungs vanished. She felt the same hand on her shoulder pulled her to the surface.

"Clio!" she heard her friend cried out as she was deposited to the shore. Unconsciousness was taking her entire system.

She saw the familiar green eyes hovering above her crashing his lips to hers bringing air inside her lungs before her and pumping her chest to get the water out.

Water spluttered from her mouth and she gasped for air. The last thing she remembered was everyone's face hovering above her before she lost consciousness.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hey guys, so I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I get to update in time. But I have to tell you guys that I'm preparing for my board examination on March. That may be the cause why I get to update slowly. But rest assured I won't abandon this one. Hope you like it! And I have a lot of plots hidden in my sleeves! So stay tuned!


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Marvel Franchise. I only own my OC.**

* * *

 **Chapter 17**

 **~Loki~**

He watched grimly the steady breathing of the sleeping girl on the healing bed when Frigga walked over to him. Ever since she was declared stable and safe, he never once left her side that something might happen to her again and he feared that he won't be able to save her this time.

Frigga put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently. "She's safe, now. It's a good thing you were there with them. If not, she could have died without someone who knows how to counteract that burst of energy," Frigga stated in relief. "I tried to tell her not to exert herself too much especially since she's just starting with magic."

Loki nodded and sighed. "For someone with high intellect, she could be an idiot sometimes. Her stubbornness knows no bounds. She was drowning yet she managed to pull off that amount of energy," he muttered then turned to his mother. His brows were almost lined up together as his face scrunched with undeniable worry that made Frigga's heart sank. It had been a while since she last saw that look on his face. "Is there anything we can do to take it off her?"

Frigga stared at her youngest son sadly and shook her head. "If we did, there's a bigger chance she'll die," she answered as he caressed her son's hair. "I know it was starting to bother her mentally, I could feel it even though she never said a word about it."

"I saw her swim. She was an excellent swimmer but something happened that made her go down very fast; so fast that even the others with her did not notice immediately. I was a fool; I should have known something was wrong. If it wasn't for that burst of energy, I would not have found her. What's worst, if I haven't got there sooner, she would have died," he stated through gritted teeth.

He sighed when remembered that time he grabbed Clio's shoulder, it almost knocked him off. It was very strong and even he could not believe something like that can be attained by a mere mortal like her. The Xhyloria was strong than what he was expecting and she was stronger for taking it.

"Do not blame yourself, my son," Frigga stated gently. "She is safe because of you."

Loki released a deep breath again as he felt the same foreign emotion he felt the first time he saw her. "I don't know what I would do or think if she died today, mother," he confessed solemnly. "When did she become part of my dark life?"

"It might be the moment when she shed light to that so-called 'dark life' of yours, my son," Frigga answered with a soft smile.

"We need to send her back," he muttered. "If she continued to stay with me, the more she gets in danger."

His mother shook her head. "You are the one who said her stubbornness knows no bounds. Do you think if we sent her back now will she stop being a part of your life? Son, you just got to accept that fact now; that she's a part of you and you are to her."

Loki didn't answer and thus glanced back at the sleeping woman. It wasn't the fact that he was in denial but he knew the pending doom that was yet to come. She could become his weakness and he couldn't afford that.

"Jane also collapsed a while ago," Frigga informed him after some time. "The Aether is getting stronger the more it stayed inside her."

"That girl won't last long," he commented not bothering to look at his mother. "Thor must accept the fact that his mortal will die," he deadpanned.

"Loki!" Frigga reprimanded and gave her son a pained look. "Your brother proved his love for Jane and he is willing to do everything just to save her. Will you accept it if Clio will be the one to perish?"

His shoulder tensed at the question his mother asked as he felt an unfamiliar pang at the thought of this mere mortal dying. It was a closed call of what happened today. He saw how frail her body was despite having Xhylorian power and if he was being honest with himself, that scared the hell out of him. But he knew he was prepared for this.

He shrugged his shoulder in answer to his mother's question. "I've long prepared for that," he stated softly. "But as long as I lived, I will try my hardest to protect her," he added. He searched her pale, sickly face. Despite that, he couldn't deny the beauty she beheld. Her eyes and beauty bewitched him from the moment he met her. Maybe that was the case why he couldn't abandon her that night when she was dying. He met beautiful ladies and even more beautiful than her in the past thousand year but one appealed to him more than she did.

He heard Frigga sighed as she squeezed his shoulder gently. "She changed you," she muttered softly.

Loki couldn't deny that. Did she change him? Maybe that was the case. Maybe because he wanted to be better for her.

 **~Clio~**

Her head felt like it was breaking the moment she woke up. It was like having a hangover after a long night party and she barely go to parties. Groaning, she lifted her hand up to rub her eyes but felt a heavy weight on it. She turned around and blinked in surprise at the sight: Loki was sitting on a chair and was leaning on the bed with her hand tucked in his. His labored breathing indicates that he was sleeping.

A couple of seconds before the sight registered through her head; it somehow lessened the ache she was feeling at the moment. She couldn't help but feel something warm in her chest at the sight. Was he with her this whole time she was out? She stared at his peaceful form for a while. It was a rare sight indeed. Her eyes drank his silky black hair, high cheekbones and his soft lips. He looked like an innocent child so tired of the universe.

"How can he make such innocent and cute face while sleeping when in fact he tried to invade Earth a year ago?" she muttered softly to herself and giggled. "If only I have my phone here," she added and reached her other hand to touch his hair.

"Don't even think about it." Her hand froze midair as he spoke with his eyes still closed. Her eyes widened when he slowly opened his eyes and gave her a scolding glare. "What an ill-mannered woman you are for sneaking up on someone who was sleeping."

A blush crept on her face as she retracted her hand that he was holding. "Y-You're awake this whole time?" she stuttered as she watched the god sat back up and stretched his neck.

"Yes," he answered and crossed his arms on his chest.

"You could have told me!" she argued trying to keep her reddened face from him by letting her black hair flow around her face.

"Where's the fun in that?" he said nonchalantly. He grabbed her hair and tucked it behind her ear. He stared at her with grave expression that made her nervous suddenly. "How are you feeling?"

At the question of her state, her head started pounding agai. "My head felt like it will break any moment," she groaned and Loki rolled his eyes.

"Well, that's what you get for draining out your energy while you're struggling to swim," Loki reprimanded and Clio pouted.

"How was I supposed to know?" she countered and crossed her arms on her chest.

"You could have told me what you were feeling from the start, I could have helped you instead of bursting out your energy like that," he reprimanded making Clio glare at him.

"Hard enough to do that when you're deep under water," she said haughtily.

They both glared at each other for a long time. No one bothered to back down. 'So irritating,' Clio thought. But deep down she knew how thankful she was at him. If it weren't for him, she would have died that time. She knew Loki would not have done it with anyone who was not acquainted to him and that made her heart flutter.

Before long, Loki sighed in defeat. "You're such an enigma, you know that?" he scoffed.

"What?!" she barked in disbelief. "You're the one who is puzzling!" She rolled her eyes but it landed on his lips. Then her eyes widened when her brain showed her a flashback of his lips on hers as he tried to do CPR. Her face suddenly felt hot when the familiar feeling rushed through her lips.

"Your face is red, is something wrong?" he asked and put a hand on her forehead making her face grew hotter.

"N-Nothing," she stuttered and pushed his hand away. Loki raised an eyebrow at her but did not comment. "W-What happened after you p-pulled me out of the water?" she asked while she played her fingers on the sheets.

"Your lungs were full of water so I brought air to your l –" he stopped abruptly when he realized what he just said. A tint of red crept his cheek. "I did that to save you," he muttered and looked away.

Clio stared down at her palm. "T-Thank you," she muttered back.

Loki did not reply to her remark but instead present his palm out to her. Her eyes widened at the familiar necklace on his palm.

"My necklace," she muttered as she stared at him in surprise; her mouth opened slightly.

He grabbed the end of the necklace and unlocked it. Sitting next to her, he motioned for her to come closer so he can hang it on her neck.

Unconsciously, she leaned her cheeks over to his shoulder as she pulled over her hair so he can lock the necklace on her neck. She could feel his cool fingers on her skin that sent sweet shivers down her spine. A soft click was heard indicating the necklace was locked but neither one of them pulled away from each other thus Loki rested his hands on her back.

Sighing contently, she closed her eyes and felt the rhythm of his heartbeat. He slowly rubbed circles on her back as they stayed like that in silence before Loki sigh.

"Don't do anything reckless," he muttered near her ear. Clio pulled slightly away to look at his face with a scowl.

"I'm not even doing anything reckless," she argued stubbornly.

"You could have died at the lake," Loki pointed out as he caressed her cheek. A solemn look crossed his face. "If I wasn't there, who knows what would happen."

"You were there and I'm alive. That's all that matters," she murmured with half-lidded eyes as she gazed back at his green orbs. She could feel how worried he was for what happened to her. But even she was shaken of what happened.

"You wouldn't be if you weren't too careful," he reprimanded as he tucked another hair behind her ear.

Clio rolled her eyes but gave him a reassuring grin. "I'll be fine," she said softly as she pulled away from him to lean back on the headboard.

"You better be," Loki said. "I won't be seeing you for a long time as I will be busy in the library and you need to focus on your training."

Clio opened her mouth to retort back but decided not to. Instead she nodded her head at him. "You take your rest now. Mother would throw a fit if she saw you like this," he stated and stood up. Before he could walk away, Clio grabbed the end of his sleeve. A scowl appeared on his face.

"I'm tired of resting," she said with a sighed. "I want to see the Elvenmist in the garden. It might help me rest," she added quickly before he could retort back.

Loki stared at her for a second, contemplating her request. Clio actually prayed inside her head that he would agree. She did want to see the Elvenmist but the truth was, she just wanted to be with him today. She wanted to feel his presence beside her.

Slowly, a smile appeared on her face when Loki nodded. He took off his black coat that he was wearing leaving him with only his green long sleeve undershirt.

"Why did you take that off?" she asked with a scowl on her face. She watched as Loki put it around her and motioned for her to put her arms on the sleeves. He secured the button in front before looking up at her.

"It's inappropriate for a lady to go around exploring while wearing only a thin layer dress," he explained and as he did, her face grew hot when she realized he was right. She had forgotten how thin a hospital dress can be.

"Now hold on tight to me," he ordered as he snaked his arm around her waist. She put her hand on her chest and clung to it gently. With a flick of his hand, he teleported them to the garden.

Her grin widened when she saw the Elvenmist sprawling beautifully. Her feet skipped towards them and kneeled in front to smell it. Her necklace dangled on her neck when she leaned forward. Loki sat next to her on the grass and cut a flower.

"When will their season end?" she asked as she turned around to sit in front of him.

"At the end of the month," he informed her as he played the flower between his fingers. "Pick as many as you like before it all go."

"How come there time is short unlike the other flowers?" she asked. "Is this only their ideal time to be this lively?"

Loki gave her a soft smile in return and surveyed the flower he picked before putting it behind her ear.

"All that are beautiful only comes rarely," he started as he stared at the flower on her ear.

"How so?" she asked as she touched the flower.

"They only grow beautifully when it is of the darkest season and unlike any flowers here, it disappears quickly. Look around you," he stated and Clio did as she told. "It is different from the others. Flowers in Asgard tend to have beautiful red, orange, yellow and white color but this one is different despite how it tried to blend with the others."

"But it stood out more than the rest," she stated. Then a thought occurred to her. She glanced back at the god of mischief. "How come others treated you differently than Thor?" she asked.

The question brought surprised to Loki and for a second, his eyes widened a fraction. "Would you treat me the same after all of everything?" he asked back.

"But you were already pardoned from your crimes, right? And you're still their prince," she pointed out. Loki didn't answer back but did not try to meet her eyes. "…and you seemed okay with it," she added.

"I've been treated differently ever since I was a child. I never knew why that time but now I know. I'm not Asgardian. I am one of their enemies," he explained. "I've grown accustomed by it so I don't think too much of it anymore."

"But… you get along well with others…" she began. "The Warrior Three and Lady Sif?"

Loki shook his head and gave a humorless chuckle. "Barely," he answered as he gazed at the bushes of Elvenmist. "The Warrior Three and Sif; they are only civil with me because I am the prince and I am Thor's 'little' brother. Ever since I was kid, I'm alone."

"That's not true," she argued. "You have Frigga with you, right?"

Loki sighed and stared back at her. "I have and I am thankful," he replied.

"And now, you have me," she added with a soft smile that made Loki stopped for a while and gazed at her with so much contemplation.

It pained her to think that he was feeling alone all this time. She saw how people reacted differently around him and even though he tried to brush it off. She knew all he wanted was to be recognized. He did tell her that once. He was always Thor's shadow and he wanted to prove he could be an equal to him or even more but he mistakenly did it in the wrong way. Now, people despised him even more.

"It must have been hard for you," she muttered.

"At first, yes but along the way? You'll get used to it. I wish I could turn back the time," he confessed as he started playing with the grass. "I wish I didn't do what I did. I wish I didn't let go and fall into the abyss. If I did not, I would not have been captured by them. It still haunts me every night."

This was the first time he opened about his past that she was surprised by it. "I could still hear his voice, sometimes commanding me to kill everyone at night. I keep on fearing I'd lose myself again and if I do, I might never go back."

"You don't have to think about it," she replied as she gazed at him with sadness. She then grabbed his hand to her and put it on her heart chest where her heart was located. Loki gazed at her curiously as he felt the rhythm of her heart. "I promise you, Loki."

"Promise me what?" he asked.

"If you lose yourself again, I promise I will find you," she stated with all the seriousness she could muster. Loki's eyes widened a fraction at her statement. "I won't ever let you go back, you hear me?"

Loki could not fathom the words and thus only nodded his head slowly. She moved forward until her forehead was inches from his chin. With her other hand, she caressed his cool and smooth face. He pressed his lips on her forehead and lingered there for a moment where she thought of infinity.

"Thank you," he answered when he pulled away but only to move forward when he pressed again his lips on her nose.

Clio nodded as she closed her eyes while Loki pressed his forehead to hers.

"Thank you for being here," he added; his voice slightly trembling.

She did not need to open her eyes to know he was on the verge of his emotions all the while he was trying to control it. They stayed like that for what seemed like a minute but felt like an eternity to the both of them when she thought of something.

She suddenly pulled back, which surprised Loki, and grabbed the pendant of her necklace. "Can you make another one like this right now?"

"Why?" he asked his brows furrowed at her question.

"Just do it," she insisted as she grinned mischievously at him.

Loki, still not sure what she was up to, lifted a brow at her making Clio sighed exasperatedly.

"I won't do anything stupid!" she countered.

"I was just beginning to think that you're planning to sell this in higher price," he joked and Clio slapped his shoulder but nonetheless, he lifted his hand up and wielded his magic to form an Elvenmist relic the same as hers but much smaller. Clio grinned widely and grabbed it when he was done.

"Can I have it for a while?" she asked. Loki raised his eyebrow at her in confusion.

"What do you plan to do?" he asked back and Clio only grinned at him in answer.

"Thank you," she said cheerily and stood up. The god stood up as well in surprise. "I have to go!"

"Where are you going?" he asked after her when she started running.

"Somewhere!" she called back and waved at him leaving the god of mischief in the garden.

 **~0~**

"A chain necklace?" Thor repeated quite surprised at her question.

Clio ran around the palace specifically to find Thor and asked where she might get a chain necklace. "There are many jewelers in the city. Why did you ask?"

Clio presented the Elvenmist relic to the God of Thunder. "Uh, I need to put this on a chain so… uh… I can give it to… Loki," she muttered the last part a tint of pink visible on both of her cheeks. A grin erupted from the god in a teasing manner.

"I can help you with that. Come, I'll show you the way," Thor offered still grinning from ear to ear. "What does that symbolizes then?" Thor asked as they walked over to where the exit was located.

"It's a promise that I made," she said making Thor raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "I promise I will never let him go back to his dark days," she said with much determination and sincerity that moved the god of thunder

Thor put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. "I am truly happy that you are with him," he said; voice was filled with sincerity that Clio smiled.

"I am too," she muttered.

"Well, I am mostly excited of this so I'm going to rush," Thor announced and grabbed her by the waist. Clio raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Please hold on tight, my lady," he said as he spun his hammer around before thrusting it forward. A cheerful yelp erupted from her throat as the wind blew on her face.

They passed by the city on their way and once again she was taken by its beauty. Even in midday, Asgard glistened with gold. Asgardian citizens were busy with their daily routine. Children were playing with each other. Some warriors were already at the brothel drinking. A grin plastered on her face as she took it all in.

"Thor, can we go down there before we go home later?" she requested, her eyes glistening with wonder. The first time she was in the city was when they listened to Volstagg tales of their battle. It was near the palace and she never got the chance to explore since it was already late at night.

"As you wish," Thor agreed and smiled at the dark-haired lady.

They landed on a small, shabby shop at the south side of Asgard. It was not what she was expecting. Since it was a jewelry shop, she was expecting more grandiose much like the jewelry shops on earth. She glanced at Thor unsure but the God of Thunder smiled at him.

"Do not give me that look," he stated and ruffled her hair. "This is where Odin buy gifts for my mother. It is very well made, there product that is," he informed her.

"To be honest, I was expecting something big and shiny," she joked as they walk inside. A bell clung when the door opened and inside she saw a jewelry display cases that contained glistening jewelries -from necklaces, rings, to bracelets and other stuff that was made of gold. Her mouth hung open at the luxurious gems with different colors that were displayed at the other side of the aisle. Some she knew that came from earth and others might be from other realms.

"Wow," she muttered.

"Splendid morning!" someone greeted from the counter. They both turn around and saw a burly man with a long beard behind the counter. "Prince Thor, how wonderful of you to visit!"

"Good day, Viron!" Thor greeted back and clasped the man's outstretched hand into a shake. "This is my friend Clio."

"Hello," she greeted.

"Hello to you too, my lady," Viron greeted her back with a smile. "My, my, what an odd color your eyes held," he said as he gazed at her grey eyes. "A very unique one, I should say. Not many held that kind of color."

"Thank you," she stated and smiled at the man.

"So, what can I do for you two today?" he asked and clasped his hands together and rubbed them.

"My friend would like to see your available chains that you can give her," Thor supplied.

"Oh," he muttered then went back at the back of his shop and rummaged his things. "I have different kinds of chains. What do you want? Gold? Silver? Bronze?" he asked without turning to look at us.

"Silver would be fine," Clio answered politely as she gazed around the shop.

"Well, I have one that would fit your pretty neck very beautifully," he called out as he rummaged deeper in his shop.

"Uh, actually, is there a chain that can fit a man's neck?" she called back.

The rummaging stop and Viron poked his head back at them. "Oh it's for a man? What a luck, I have just the perfect one!" he exclaimed before walking back to them. In his hand was a simple, long, thin chain that was adorned with silver threads. It was very beautiful and very elegant and that compliments Loki very well.

"I love it," she muttered then rummaged her pocket to bring out the relic. "Could you attach this one as its pendant?"

"Yes, I can but it will take a little while," he said as he grabbed the relic. "I'll make it very beautifully for the man you promise your heart with."

Clio opened her mouth to correct him but he disappeared at the back of his shop. Thor chuckled at her flustered form.

"Would you have denied it?" he teased. She rolled her eyes at her friend but kept quiet.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Hey guys! I finally updated! Thank you thank you all for those who kept on reviewing and reading this story! I really do appreciate it. Special thanks to GuestLoki, Black Moons Daughter and MikazukiSuzuki!**

 **Black Moons Daughter: I watched Venom too and thought hmmm... they were both similar. But I was actually inspired by the book 'The Young Elite' where the antagonist there was being bothered by the same voices inside her head. It was also occurred to her as a Plague. I hope you find time to read that book! I loved it.**

 **GuestLoki: I KNOW RIGHT! They just kissed and it's crazy! Thank you for the good luck! I hope I nail it too!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

 **Terror of the Dark Elves**

Clio smiled to herself as she and Thor walked back to the palace. As promised, they went down to the busy market on the way to the back. On her arms were goods she bought from the market. Due to Thor's influence, some gave her fruits for free.

"I can't wait to taste all of these," she said excitedly pertaining to the fruits she held as they passed by the pillars and statues of the former kings of Asgard. They were gone for almost half the day and it was already nearing dusk when they decided to go home. The rays of the setting sun illuminated softly between the pillars as they walk.

"I am certain that you will like it, my lady," Thor said fondly to her and gave her an infectious grin. "You haven't seen the rest yet, my friend. Once Jane is well, I will show both of you around," he promised.

Clio slowed her steps, her smile fading just a little at the mention of Jane. She had fun all day that she had forgotten how sick she was and didn't even bother to visit her.

"How is she?" she asked after some time.

Thor released a heavy sigh. "I do not know how to answer that," he admitted. "The Aether is… deteriorating her slowly," he muttered.

She knew he never meant the word 'kill' but just by saying it put a strain on his being. She stared at the pavement they were walking on. A cloud of guilt hung around her. Thor was supposed to be with Jane all day but she took that away and that made her extremely guilty.

"If only I know how to extract it from her," she said faintly almost to herself but she knew Thor heard it well.

The latter gazed at her sideway and pat her back reassuringly. "Do not feel any guilt, Little One, for as far as I know Jane is a fighter!" he boomed proudly. "Why, she even managed to hit the mighty Thor with her truck!"

"W-What?" she stuttered and glanced at him. "She hit you with a… truck?" she repeated. An image of Jane hitting Thor with a truck was unbelievable to imagine but then she remembered how reckless can sometimes her friend be when driving.

"Yes, she did! If I have my powers back then I would have smoldered them to smithereens," he said as he reminisced those old days.

"Glad you didn't," she muttered and chuckled softly.

"I am too," he affirmed and gave her an infectious grin. "So, we don't have to worry about her for she is a warrior at heart. She'll survive," he reassured mainly to himself. Still, Clio couldn't help but feel grateful for him. She was glad Jane has someone who has much faith on her.

"I should go see her now," she said and Thor nodded.

"I might as well accompany you there," he offered and she nodded in answer.

"I'm sorry I took much of your time today, Thor. You should have been with her but I took it," she apologized.

Thor shook his head, "It was a pleasure to accompany you today, my friend especially if the purpose is for my little brother," he said and gave her a knowingly wink. A laugh bubbled from her throat when she remembered their purpose. Her hand instantly traveled to her pocket and grazed her finger at the cold metal. She could not wait to give it to Loki and she made a note to look for him after their visit to Jane.

They were about to start walking when a blare of horns echoed throughout the palace. The sound made Clio jumped and the fruits on her arms fall off.

"What was that?" she asked as she bent down to pick up the fallen fruits. Thor helped her with it but a scowl was visible on his face. He, too, had been surprised by the sudden blare of horns and he knew what those horns meant.

"There seems to be a small riot going on," he answered as he surveyed the area. His eyes widened when he saw guards rushing towards the other side of the palace. Clio saw it too and gut feeling twisted on her stomach.

He glanced back at her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Do not fear, my friend but please, go to where Jane is. It is best if you two would stick together. I'll come pick you two up when this is all over."

"O-Okay, be careful," she answered unsure but turned towards the healing chambers. She looked back and saw Thor spun his hammer before being pulled off the ground.

Many of the Einhenjar passed her by as she made her way towards the healing chambers. 'Big legion for a small riot,' she thought as she watched them passed her by.

"Clio!" her feet stopped when she heard a familiar voice called over her.

"Sif," she breathed in relief at the sight of her warrior friend and run towards her friend. She, too, was clad with her armor; her sword and shield were on her side. "Is everything alright?"

"No," Sif answered as she put a hand on her shoulder. "The prisoners got out of their cell and we do not know how. Stay safe, my friend. There are others who already escaped the dungeons."

"Have there any been casualties so far?" she asked worriedly.

"Only those who were in the prison," Sif replied as she put a hand on her shoulder. "You need to go to Jane."

"O-Okay," Clio muttered before a thought occurred to her. "Sif, have you seen Loki?" she asked.

"I haven't seen him the whole day, my friend. But do not worry, Loki is a warrior and a trickster. He can handle himself," Sif assured. Another horn blared loudly. "I have to go, my friend, stay safe." With that, Sif ran towards where the Einhenjar was going.

Clio was left there deciding whether to go to Jane or to go find Loki. But then again, Sif was right. Loki can handle himself but Jane cannot. She started going over the location of the healing chamber. When she got to there, Frigga was already there and was helping the weakened Jane on her feet.

"Clio," Frigga called and sighed in relief at the sight of her. "I'm so glad you are safe. Come, we need to move Jane on a safer location."

Clio nodded and helped the queen carry the weight of her friend. "Hey, Janey," she greeted. Her friend opened her eyes slightly and smiled. Even her smile was a weak one.

"Hey," she greeted back. "What's happening?"

"Just your typical jail riot," she informed as she slung Jane's arms over her shoulder. They walked out of the healing chambers and into the hallway when they passed by Odin, Loki and to her surprise Thor with an army of Einherjar behind them.

"Send a squadron to the weapon's vault. Protect it at all cost," Odin ordered. They must not have seen them yet as they walked forward to where the battle was located.

"Odin, Thor, Loki," Frigga called. The three men looked back at them.

"Frigga," greeted the king a little bit surprised to find them there. He turned slightly to his soldiers. "Go!" At his command, the legions of Einhenjar marched towards their position.

Thor pulled Jane away from Clio gently as he spoke with her in hushed tone.

Once Jane was away from her, Loki went up to Clio to inspect her for any injuries. "I'm fine," she reassured him and he nodded. "What's really going on?" she asked. Loki opened his mouth to answer but Odin beat him to it.

"It's just a skirmish, nothing to fear," Odin informed; cutting off his youngest son. Frigga rolled her eyes and smirked.

"You've never been a good liar," she stated earning a grunt from the king.

"Well, you need not worry for this I and our sons can take care of easily," replied the King.

But despite having been assured by him, Clio couldn't help but feel uneasy for what was happening. Her guts tell her something was wrong and she unconsciously grabbed Loki's arm. The latter glanced her way and grabbed her hand instead and squeezed it gently for reassurance.

Clio smiled at Loki thankfully to which the latter nodded in return before turning back to his adoptive parents. It was then that Clio's vision started to blur. She blinked multiple times to clear it but it only worsened. Suddenly, her body stiffened as if being paralyzed; she tried to open her mouth but no sounds came out. A sense of dread washed over her as she felt chill ran down her spine. It was the same familiar feeling whenever the power of Xhylorian takes over her body. Visions of gold, white and blue started reappearing from her blurred vision and she sighed in relief only to hitch up again when the view of the bifrost bridge came into view.

"What?" she muttered to herself. Not only could she actually see the bifrost but she was on it. There were ships floating from a distance as Heimdall tried to take out one of them.

Confusion clouded her mind at what was happening. She knew she was standing next to Loki a while ago but how did she managed to travel all the way to the bifrost? Heimdall tried to chase the other one but stopped a few meters from her; his eyes, in defeat, suddenly lingered at her as if trying to make out who she was.

"Heimdall, it's me!" she called over. The guardian's eyebrow scrunched in confusion.

"I could barely see you or hear you, my lady but I know you are there," he said as he heaved a heavy breath. "Asgard is under attack."

As another ship passed them, her eyes widened in shock when a vision showed what were inside the ship. It was another species of aliens and it looked familiar but she could not place it as to where she saw it and when.

"This is not a simple jail riot," she whispered.

"Indeed," Heimdall answered before running back to the gateway.

As she watched him ran back, her vision shifted. She was in the dungeons next to Sif, Fandral and Volstagg who were busy fending off the escaped prisoners back to their cells.

"Sif?" she called out in confusion.

To her relief, Sif turned to her in surprise but she was not looking straight at her. A scowl formed on her friend's face.

"Sif!" Fandral called out and gave blow to the one who was approaching Sif. "What are you doing?" he shouted at her through the noise.

"I-I thought I heard Clio," Sif answered but then shook her head. "Must be my imagination playing tricks," she whispered and let out a battle cry before plunging herself back into the battle.

"What?" Clio whispered as she watched her friends fight. But why could they not see her? Heimdall said he can but just so why can't she? Or was it because Heimdall has great eye power like everyone claim?

' _Amazing, is it not?'_ the voice whispered inside her head. She could still see her friends fighting while the voice was talking. _'It is one of our many great powers.'_

'What's happening? What do you think you are doing to me?' she thought as she felt herself getting shaken.

' _I'm merely triggering the true powers you possess. I would have wanted to show the full power of a Xhylorian but the necklace you are wearing is holding everything back,'_ it said. Clio looked down at her necklace and saw it shining slightly.

'I don't want any of your power!'she hissed.

'' _My power'?'_ the voice repeated and chuckled. _'I told you, the necklace is holding MY power back. It's your own power,'_ it said before it laughed maliciously. Clio paused at his statement.

'What are you talking about?' she demanded and before it could answer, a painful sting erupted from her eyes and to her forehead and let out a groan of pain.

Hands grabbed her shoulders and shook her back to reality. She jerked back and stared at the widened eyes of Loki to her relief and added confusion.

"L-Loki," she stuttered as she breathed heavily; her eyes still pulsed with the sting as she put a hand over it trying to stop it from pulsing.

"Calm down," he hushed as he rubbed her back in attempt to calm her down.

"W-What happened?" Clio asked as she glanced at everyone who, except the King who looked passive as always, had their eyes widened.

"Y-Your eyes were a blank shade of white and there were blue veins or marks appeared at the side of your face," Jane answered in horror. Even her eyes were wide while staring at her frightened friend. "You were muttering something."

She glanced at the King who stared at her knowingly. "I-I saw a ship coming this way," she informed them unsurely. "Heimdall tried to take down one and Sif and the others were fending off the prisoners. I don't know how I saw that but I-I just did," she stuttered, her hands were shaking and she buried them on Loki's robes to hide it. She couldn't shake the voice's statement out of her brain. A thought occurred to her but she tried to shake it off. It was an impossible one.

"The sight of the Xhylorian," Odin confirmed and nodded to himself. He turned to his wife who was confused at the moment. "It is like of Heimdall's but with smaller range," he explained when Frigga asked what it was. "A rare one and only the pure Xhylorians have the ability to have that."

"A-A pure one?" she muttered mostly to herself. She glanced up at Loki who sighed. A troubled look crossed his face.

"Indeed," the King answered. "We are to discuss this after the battle but for now we must go," Odin continued. "Take them back to your chambers. I'll come for you when it's safe," he added to the queen.

"You take care," Frigga ordered and glanced at her two sons. "All of you," Odin smirked at her but his gaze were full of fondness to his wife.

"Despite all I have survived," he said and cupped her cheek lovingly. "My queen still worries over me." Frigga smiled at her husband as she leaned slightly to his touch.

"It's only because I worry for you that you survived," she answered back at Odin's retreating form.

"Mother, take care of Jane," Thor asked as Frigga held the sick woman in her arms.

"I will," she answered. Thor nodded to them before following his father.

Loki stayed back as he gazed at Clio with worry. He could not leave her; not like when she looked shaken for what happened. He was about decline Odin's order when her mother spoke. "Loki, do not fret. I will take care of them. Go."

Clio swallowed the lump on her throat as she watched Loki think; his brows were almost lined up. As much as she wanted him to stay, she knew Asgard needed him. "I'll be fine," she assured him and nodded towards where Thor went. "They need you," she smiled at him but it did not reach her eyes.

Despite the assurance, fear was evident in her eyes and Loki understands it. He grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her towards his chest. "Be careful," he muttered in her ears.

"You're the one who should be careful. You're going to fight," she replied before pulling away from him. She grabbed the necklace in her pocket and presented it to him. "I got this for you. This is the symbol of my promise, Loki. Please be careful," she whispered as she offered the necklace to him. Loki stared at it for a moment before letting her put it on his neck.

Clio gazed at it for a moment before looking back to his eyes.

"I'll come back to you," he promised pulling her into another hug before dashing off to where the fight was.

Frigga nodded at Clio when she walked over to them. "What did you truly see, my dear?" the queen asked. Clio stared at her for a moment.

"W-What do you mean?" she asked.

"I fear that this is not a little jail riot, my dear. There is something more. Did you see what was inside the ship you were talking about?" the Queen asked.

Clio stared at her for a moment as she tried to rethink of the images that she saw. It looked very familiar to her. She swore she saw it somewhere which was odd because usually she never forgets anything like this. Besides her eyes, she was known for her exceptional photographic memory.

'Come to think of it, they looked like telletubies—' she froze as her eyes widened. An image inside her head replayed to the time when Odin showed them the story of the Aether. She and Jane giving each other side glance when they were represented of the image of it. The first thought she had that time were how they resembled the children's TV characters. She also remembered how Odin denied they were still alive.

"H-how come they're alive?" she uttered to which the Queen heard.

"What is it, child? What did you see?" she asked urgently.

"The King told us that they were already extinct but how come…" she didn't finish what she was saying as another explosion shook the castle. She glanced to where she last saw Loki and feared for his safety. "They need to know about this! The dark elves are coming!" she said frantically.

"What?" Jane exclaimed weakly.

"Just as I thought," the queen stated.

"What do you mean?" Clio asked confusedly. She and Jane shared a look of confusion before turning to the queen.

"There's no time," Frigga replied. "We need to go to my chambers for safety."

"But shouldn't the other know about this?" Clio asked worriedly.

"They are after the one inside Jane," the Queen explained. "We need to protect her and keep her hidden at all cost."

"They're after me?" Jane asked in disbelief.

"Yes, and we need you to be asleep," Frigga muttered some spells under her breath and the next thing was Jane falling limply on their arms.

"What's your plan?" Clio asked as they rushed Jane towards the Queen's chamber.

"I need you to channel up your magic that I taught you and cast an illusion to disguise yourself as Jane," Frigga instructed as they laid Jane on the bed.

"I can't hold my energy for a long time let alone use magic of disguise," she warily said. Whatever the queen plans, it will likely fail if she will be a part of it.

"I know that, that's why I only need you to disguise your energy like the Aether's. I saw how you channel up the energy churning inside your stomach and I know you can do it. I'll help you with the illusion but you need to hold it in," Frigga instructed as she held Clio's hand with her own.

"I'm not sure about this," Clio confessed warily. "Shouldn't we call the others and inform them about it?"

"Trust me, child. This will work," the Queen assured.

She closed her eyes and did as she told. She felt a tingling sensation from where they joined hands. Slowly, it crept into her arms and now it was all over her body. The sensation was overwhelming and she sucked her breath in surprise.

"Easy," Frigga warned.

She felt something like a thread inside her stomach and she imagined herself clutching to it.

"That's it," Frigga complimented. "Do not stray from it," she added.

It was then that she realized that the strings were her focus and energy. If she loosened it, everything will fall apart.

When she opened her eyes, Frigga was smiling. "You are doing great. Can you feel the string inside your stomach?" she asked and Clio nodded in answer not trusting herself to speak. "Those strings are your energy, life force and focus. Try to hold it in and never let it go," she added.

Clio nodded in answer. "How come I can do this?" she asked. She turned to the mirror and was surprised to see instead of her reflection Jane was standing in front of her. The illusion worked but she did not know when it will last.

"This is with the help of my magic," the Queen explained. "It channeled with yours to help you focus."

"So," she began; even her voice sounded like Jane. "You're saying that they are after Jane because of what's inside of her?"

"I'm afraid so," the queen answered as she guided her to sit on the bench. "Now, copy the Aether's power. Grab Jane's hand and try to copy the energy swirling inside her."

"How?" she asked but did as she was told. Frigga put a hand on her stomach and onto her and Jane's joined hand. A wave of sensation passed through her. It was so sudden that she almost let go of the string inside of her. Her illusion faltered for a moment.

"It's too much," she groaned in pain. 'This was inside Jane's body?' she thought as she gritted her teeth. It was like the power was crushing her. Now she knew what Jane was feeling. The guilt inside of her doubled.

"Do not think of anything, Clio. Just focus on this," Frigga scolded. The latter nodded her head and did as she told. When she could steady her energy and the illusion, the queen let her go.

"What are you planning next?" she asked in a strained voice. Channeling two energies at the same time really put a lot of weight on her being.

"I will fight them off and it will give you time to run just in case it did not work out," the Queen explained.

"I'm not going to leave you!" she exclaimed at the Queen. "If we're going to protect Jane then we'll do it together," she added firmly and with indignation making the queen stare at her in surprise.

A few moments later, a fond smile appeared on her face. "I admire your spirit, my dear. No wonder my son is smitten by you," she commented making Clio blushed. Then the Queen's face turned from gentle to business mode. "They're here," she muttered.

Panic washed over her making her concentration waver.

"Clio!" Frigga shook her. "Your illusion is fading. You should focus," she exclaimed and tried to cover up again her illusion.

"I'm sorry," Clio muttered and tried to focus again.

"Do not fear, child I'll protect you both. I swore to both my sons that I will," she stated before the doors to chambers opened and revealed the leader of the dark elves much like the one she saw in Odin's book. She and Frigga stood up with the queen putting her behind.

With a wave of her hand, she emitted a sword. "Stand down, Creature, or you may survive this,"Frigga threatened as she walked over to where the creature was. Clio, on the other hand, stayed where she was. Despite the fear she was feeling, she couldn't help but feel worried for the queen.

"I have survived worst, woman," answered the dark elf.

"Who are you?" asked Frigga.

"I am Malekith," answered the dark elf then turned his head to her. "And I would have what is mine."

Clio bit her lip when she felt a familiar chilling shiver ran down her spine. 'Not now!' she thought when the voice started to stir inside her mind.

Frigga signaled for her to run and she did away from them and away from Jane. Malekith made an attempt to chase after her when Frigga drew her sword and slashed his face.

Malekith, after recovering from his shock, drew his sword and came sword to sword with the queen of Asgard.

Her knees turned to jelly. Copying the Aether's power was too much that she could feel herself slipping. The voice was not helping either.

She turned around and tried to crawl over to one of the pillar to hide. She could see Frigga from the corner of her eyes that she was gaining the upper hand much to her relief. Finally, she had cornered Malekith and was about to kill him when suddenly another dark elf appeared, this one a little bit monstrous looking than their leader.

"Look out!" she warned but it was too late as it grabbed the Queen by the neck and pinning her hands behind her back.

Her eyes widened as she watched the Queen get pinned. Clio could have handled a fight and save Frigga but the energy of the Aether she was mimicking was already taking a toll on her as if it was already using her life force.

A gasp escaped her throat making Malekith turn to her. "You have taken something, child," he stated as he eyed her up and down. She balled her fist as he reached out to her power trying to sense the Aether. In the process, it was making the fake Aether grow stronger inside her thus feeding the voice in her head too.

To her horror, the more Malekith come near her, the more the string slowly slip from her grasp. The Aether was too much even for her.

It was too much. The voice continued to scream in her head. The Aether continued to rise up from her. The strings started to slip one by one.

"Give it back to me," Malekith demanded forcefully this time.

And that's when her breath hitched up as the string that she was holding in suddenly snapped. The force and effort of holding out for too long made her fall on the ground as she tried to regain her energy. Her illusions faded, the power of the Aether inside her faded and Malekith stared at her in shock. He slowly turned around to see Frigga smirking.

"Where is it?" he yelled and grabbed Clio by the neck. The latter struggled to get free but then get slapped across the face. The impact was hard that she was thrown back. A grunt left her throat as she was slammed on a pillar.

"Clio!" she heard Frigga shouted in worry.

' _Malekith will kill the queen.'_ The voice whispered inside her head. _'You need to unleash us,_ ' it added. Breathing heavily, Clio stood up ignoring the pain on her back and cheek. _'You want to protect her, right? Let me out now and I will give you true powers to save the queen's life!'_

' _Shut up!'_ but worry bubbled her chest as Malekith rounded up to the queen.

"Where is it?" Malekith asked again in calm tone.

"I will not tell you," the Queen stated defiantly.

Silence descended upon them and Malekith smirked. "I believe you," he stated before signaling the other dark elf. A groan escaped the queen's lips as the monster plunged its sword in Frigga's back mortally wounding the queen.

"No!" she screamed in horror as she let out a strangled cry. Her eyes widened in shock as the queen slowly slid down on to the ground trying to catch her breath. Horror was visible from the delicate face of the queen.

Her hands shook at the sight of the blood pooling under Frigga. A vision of the queen's kind smile at their first meeting suddenly came up to her head; how openly did she accept her in her home. And now, the queen lay limp on the ground with life breathing out of her slowly.

She could feel the blood rushed in her ears. A tear fell off from her eye as she watched the thickening of the blood on the floor. There was a stabbing pain on her chest and hatred that she never felt before burst inside her heart. Her vision started to blur red as she glanced at Malekith's smirking face. Something snapped inside of her. It felt like a dam inside her crack and all of the water started flooding out. It was very overwhelming and she could feel the rapid swirling of energy in her stomach.

' _That's it! That's it! Let me out!'_ screamed the voice.

The sight of the queen's blood on the floor fueled her anger. Her heart pounded rapidly in her chest as she felt dark aura around her. All she could see was red around the smug look of the dark elf. The energy started to calm down but the hatred inside her heart started to burst harder.

"You will pay for this," she growled which did not sound like her own voice. With speed that surprised her and the elf, she grabbed Malekith by the throat to which she was rewarded but a look of uncertainty on the elf's face. She threw him across the floor and charged next to the monstrous elf. She kicked him on the chest and it was sent across the floor too.

"The Xhylorians perished eons ago through the hands of my enemy, Bor. It is the universe speaking to us, child," Malekith stated as he stood up a grin plastered his ugly face. "This is quite a surprise indeed. Xhylorians were once my allies and together we ruled the nine realms before the Asgardian took over."

"Allies?" she growled. "We are not allies."

The next thing she knew, she was suddenly in front of the elf and delivered a punch on his smirking face. Malekith, having expecting this, blocked it with his palm and with his other fist, he slammed her down on the pavement and tried to restrain her. She growled and clawed his face. Her sharpened nails tore the skin on his cheek and Malekith howled in pain. He stumbled back as Clio stood up, her eyes were blazing with anger.

' _Kill him,'_ the voice whispered.

'Is he really your ally?' she asked inside her head. She didn't know why she suddenly was talking to the voices inside her head but she couldn't ignore them any longer.

' _Yes,'_ hissed the voice. ' _But he betrayed us. He was the reason why we do not exist anymore.'_

A surge of anger rushed through her vein. It was like the microorganism inside her body was fueling it. Like a predator to its prey, she closed the distance with him slowly. Her nails glinted from the light outside and her eyes were blank. A growl was emanated from her throat and she pranced over to the elf. But before she could reach him, an invisible force hit her making her scream.

She stumbled back and she screeched as the force continued to make its way in her head. _'No! No!'_ the voice screamed in her head. She realized that the force was a kind of sonic wave that can enter the mind through the ears. The wave stopped but the pain inside her head was still there.

Malekith chuckled at her writhing form. "I have told you, Xhylorians have been my ally. I know their weaknesses and strength. Now, tell me where is the girl who held the Aether and I will spare your life," he said as he grabbed her by the neck. She was gasping for air as the dark elf slowly tightened his fingers around her neck.

"I'd rather die than tell you where it is," she choked out. Malekith glared at her. She could already see spots in her visions – a sign that she was fading from consciousness. She closed her eyes and waited for him to snap her neck. But before that happen a familiar cry of anger and the sound of lightning was heard in the background.

She fell on the ground from the impact as she gasped and coughed for air. She looked up to see Loki and Thor running after the retreating dark elf. Half of the face of Malekith was burnt and she guessed it was because of Thor's lightning.

Thor threw his mighty hammer one last time at the dark elf but missed as Malekith escaped with his guard. While this was happening, Clio turned over to where Frigga's body was located. She gingerly crawled over to her and cradled her head to her chest. She started looking for any sign and she let out a cry when she felt a weak pulse; and with that, darkness took over her system.


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the Marvel Characters and Franchise. I only own my OC.

* * *

 **Chapter 19**

 **The Plan**

Clio sighed again that she loose counts on how many times did she repeated the action as she sat on her bed with Jane. Ever since she woke up from fainting, Odin ordered the guards to lock the two of them up despite Thor and Loki's reasoning. She heard from one of the Einherjar that Frigga was under the state of coma due to the injury she received. She was relieved that the queen was alive and breathing despite her state. But there was guilt that lingers at her heart for what happened to the queen. She knew she was to blame for what happened to her.

Ever since the battle dissipated, they were stuck in her chamber and even her balcony was barred with railings. She never got to see Loki nor Thor nor even the Warrior three and Lady Sif ever since they were locked. They only get a visit from the Einherjar who brings their meals and a healer to tend to them. Even Healer Hilda never came to visit them.

She turned around when her friend shifted beside her. She was glad that Jane was doing okay. Ever since the attack, her friend was back to herself once more but she knew it was only temporary. Malekith will come back to get her.

"The day is almost over," Jane grumbled as she crossed her arms on her chest. "Does he mean to lock us up forever?" She was pertaining to Odin who ordered their lock up.

The truth was she did not know either. The king was in the state of hate and grief of what happened to his wife. She have seen how Odin loved and cared for Frigga and seeing her in that state must have closed his mind to all reasons and even to his sons. She could not blame him for his behavior. Almost losing someone you love would get your anxiety to a maximum level. She felt that around Tony on many occasions. Speaking of Tony, she wondered how he was faring up especially now that he could not contact her or track her where beings. She felt guilty leaving Earth like that. She did promise him that she would not get into any more trouble but now here she was, stuck in Asgard with the probability of a lifetime.

"They must be planning something for us," she answered her friend but even her tone didn't sound very reassuring to her. "Maybe Odin will send us back to Earth. We wouldn't know. We just need to believe in them."

Jane was quiet for a moment and was pondering. "Does that mean we'll never see Thor or Loki if that happens?" she asked.

Clio tensed up at the idea. What if that happened? Could she go on without Loki by her side? Probably not but she reassured herself that there was nothing to worry about since Loki promised to be by her side until his last breath.

" _What if his last breath will be soon?"_ countered the voice inside her head. Ever since Malekith's sonic wave, they've been talking less to her but when they do, it was only to annoy her.

'That's not going to happen, he's a god.' She answered back.

" _Even gods die,"_ taunted the voice. _"Especially gods who are close to Death."_

In the course of two days, whenever they tried to annoy her she would try to speak with them to enhance their telepathic relationship. But they always end up bantering with each other that she thought she might go crazy anytime soon. Usually she'd just ignore it until it decided to shut up.

She still did not know how she was able to attack Malekith like that. She was even shock when she remembered how her nails turned sharp like claws. She had asked the voice about it. She learned that it was part of the Xhylorian powers and it would only come out when she was in distress.

But ever since the fight, she felt there was something like a gateway inside her stomach. The voice kept on telling her to open it but she refused. She feared if she did, the sinister aura she felt when fighting Malekith would come back.

"I'm sure Thor wouldn't want to stay away from you now," she reassured Jane who only sighed in return. "Let's just trust in him, okay?"

 **~Loki~**

A heavy weight was put on his chest as he watched his adoptive mother so weak and so fragile. He was used to see her cheery atmosphere and motherly affection that seeing her like this makes his blood boil. He should not have left them when they were under attack. But no one knew the attacks were from the dark elves. He thought Bor destroyed them all but even Xhylorians whom everyone thought Bor terminated, survived even just one.

And now, Odin would not listen to them. What an idiot. He was not fitted to be king, after all.

"Brother," Thor called when he entered Frigga's chambers.

"What?" he deadpanned not bothering to look at his older adoptive brother.

"We need to talk," he stated. Loki turned to him halfway with a scowl.

"About what?"

"We should get Jane out of Asgard."

Loki glared daggers at his brother and stood up. "Is that all you can think about? Look at her!" he yelled pointing at Frigga. "Do you not worry about her too?"

Thor was silent before a sigh escaped his lips. "It is because of her that I want to get Jane out of Asgard," he stated. He stared at Loki trying to figure out what he was thinking but he remained silent. "Malekith will surely come back for the Aether and as long as Jane is on Asgard, he will attack with greater army than the last."

"So, you want to move the battle away from Asgard? How do you intend to do it?" he asked sarcastically. "The Bifrost is shut down!"

"That's why I need your help," he informed. "You knew one of the get ways out of Asgard. The one you used to get the Frost Giants in," he added.

Loki pursed his lip into thin line at the mention of the event he did not want to remember. "And what of Heimdall?" he asked after some time. The plan was a dangerous one but Thor had a point of removing Jane out of Asgard, especially now that their mother was at her weakened state. Odin could not let the legions of Einherjar to battle with his grief.

His older brother opened his mouth to reply but stopped abruptly and stared at the balcony. "Let's find somewhere else to talk, we are not alone here."

Loki turned around to see one of Odin's ravens on the balcony. The black bird stared at them with its piercing eyes. It must have been there to guard Frigga. He had not noticed it at all since it was dark outside. Who knows what the bird heard. He walked over to Thor and grabbed his shoulder. He used his magic to teleport them out of the palace.

"We need to find the others and leave soon," Thor stated and Loki nodded as they marched towards where they knew the Warrior three and Lady Sif would be. When they got there, Loki was surprised to see Heimdall was present. The all-seeing Asgardian regarded them with a nod. Once Thor was seated, he relayed his plan on battling Malekith in his hometown instead here on Asgard.

"That's an idiotic plan," Loki commented. "It's like your feeding the predator its prey."

"I never thought I would say this but Loki's right. How do you even intend to do that?" Fandral asked before taking a sip on his ale. "Your lovely mortal is being guarded by legions of Einherjar who will see you coming from miles away."

"I won't be the one who will come for her," Thor replied then regarded Sif with a knowing look. Sif raised an eyebrow in surprise but did not comment.

"And what of the other?"Volstagg asked. "Do you intend to take Lady Clio as well?"

"Yes," Loki replied quickly and with no hesitation. The other glanced at his direction in surprise.

Thor glanced at Loki and shook his head. "We cannot do that. Getting Jane alone would be hard enough," he stated giving his brother a sympathetic look.

Loki glared daggers at him. "Think clearly, brother. If we only get Jane out, Odin will use Clio to bring us back and believe me, brother, I will go back," he said through clenched teeth. "Even if I had to take all of you back to Asgard."

Everyone was silent for a moment contemplating Loki's statement. Realization dawned on the others' faces. They have heard how Clio saved Loki in Midgard but they never thought that the God of Mischief would be attached to her.

"Wait a damn second, you and Clio?!" Fandral sputtered in disbelief.

"You got a problem with that?" Loki asked in a dangerously low tone.

"No problem at all," Volstagg supplied when Fandral opened his mouth to retaliate. The rotund man glared at his friend in warning.

Fandral gave a huff. "Everyone's getting the good ones," he grumbled to which everyone decided to ignore.

"Then we shall bring Clio," Hogun stated and everyone nodded in agreement.

"The All-father is in the state of grief," Heimdall stated. "If his mind is shut to any reasons made then he will use the mortal to his advantage."

"And what of the All-father?"Sif asked as she shifted on her seat. Her role was the most important one. If she failed on getting the two mortals out, they would most likely fail.

"It is my sworn duty to inform the All-father of the crimes that was commited in Asgard," Heimdall spoke.

"Assuming Sif managed to get the two mortals out," Volstagg began. His voice was filled with doubt and no one could blame him. It was a dangerous task especially for the two princes. "What good would it do? We'd be dead the minute we step foot from Asgard," he added.

"That, my friend, is why we won't be leaving by foot," Thor answered. Everyone except Loki and Heimdall stared at the oldest prince in question. "We will use one of the Dark Elves' ships," he added.

"That is preposterous," Loki replied. "We'd be drawing attentions to ourselves!"

"Trust me on this brother," Thor stated with much seriousness he could muster. Loki stared at him for a while before sighing. His number one priority was to get Clio out of danger, anyway. If the plan failed, he'll never have second thoughts on teleporting them both out without the others.

He turned to Fandral when he spoke again. "How sure are you that Loki won't betray you again?" Fandral asked glaring at Loki. "He may have given his aid on Vanaheimbut now I do not know if we could trust him again."

Loki glared at the latter and opened his mouth but Thor spoke up. "It is true that Loki have betrayed me on many, many occasions. Remember that one time when we were kids? He turned himself into a snake and he knows I love snakes. So I went up to pick up the snake to admire it and then he turned back into himself and he went BLAHHH –it's me! Then he stabbed me. We were eight that time, right?" he asked then turned to Loki who was now glaring at him. "Okay, the point is, I can trust Loki again because he proved himself to us already. He will not try to do it anymore because if he did, he'll be betraying also someone who is dear to him."

Silence descended upon them as they contemplated the paln clearly. In the end, they all went to do their part.

 **~Clio~**

The sun was already rising over the mountains but sleep never find its way to her while Jane slept soundly on the bed. She sat at the balcony looking over the city. She will never get tired of this view. If Jane was right and Odin will send them back to Earth, she will miss this.

Her mind wandered to the queen. She remembered her pain stricken face when the sword went through her back. She felt so guilty of what happened to her. If she only told the others what she truly saw then they would have stuck with them to defend Jane and not let Frigga handle it alone. She could have done so many things to help save the queen. This was also the main reason why she was awake. The guilt was eating her up.

Sighing, her hand gingerly cradled the pendant on her neck. She suddenly missed Loki's company. But if she told them what she had done, would they forgive her? She heard Jane shift on the bed signaling that she was waking up.

"You're awake early," she heard her commented; her voice still groggy from sleep.

"I didn't sleep," she replied turning to her friend. Jane raised her brow at her. "I couldn't sleep," she supplied instead.

"Something bothering you?" she asked as Clio seated back on the bed.

"Nothing much," the dark-haired answered. "I want to get out of here," she added.

Jane nodded in understanding. "I want to, too. But how do we get out of here? We can't get past those bars." she asked.

Clio thought for a moment. "I might," she muttered. "But I don't want to use it because I might lose control and hurt you."

"That sucks," Jane replied with a pout.

They turned their heads to the door when the door knob started turning. It was time for breakfast. The awkward moment she hated was the Einhenjar would wait for them to eat up before exiting their chambers. If only she could muster up again the energy to fight without awakening the voice to fight off the Einhenjar then they would gotten out of here. But she knew she couldn't unless she wanted a dead Einhenjar on her feet and Jane seriously injured.

"We're not hungry yet," growled Jane not turning around.

Their eyes widened when the Einhenjar yelped. They turned their heads back to the door and saw Sif grinning from ear to ear at them.

"Good," she stated and beckoned them to go. "Let's go then."

Clio and Jane stared at each other for a moment before they scrambled off the bed and ran towards the door. They both hugged Sif who returned it.

"Thank you, Sif," Jane muttered. Sif only smiled at her friend and motioned for them to go. "Where are we going?" she asked.

Sif kept looking around them to spot any Einhenjar that might have seen them.

"You need to ask your lover for that," Sif replied and nodded ahead. The two looked to where she was pointing at and to their utmost joy; Loki and Thor were waiting for them near a column. They were looking around their surroundings. They must not have seen them yet for when they turned around, their faces lit up like Christmas lights.

Clio's heart pounded at the sight of Loki who walked over to them with his brother. The necklace she gave him was dangling around his neck. She wanted to cry and laugh and bury her face on the crook of his neck. Nothing changed after two days of not seeing each other. He still looked the same but she could feel a heavy weight upon the two brothers. It must have been because of what happened to their mother.

Thor walked over to Jane and hugged her to his chest. "How are you feeling?" the god of thunder asked.

"I'm okay," Jane answered and buried her face on his chest.

Clio stared at them with a smile before she felt the presence of Loki beside her. He grabbed her hand to his and squeezed it gently. They never uttered a word to each other but they both knew how happy they were to see each other again.

"I apologize to break your moment but we have to move now," Sif ordered as she readied her stance. They all looked ahead and saw legions of Einhenjar marching up to them. The warrior lady turned to them. "Go. I'll hold them off until you get to the ship," she said.

Clio scowled at her. "What about you?" she asked to her friend.

"Do not worry," Sif assured her with a smirk. "I can fend them off by myself."

"Thank you, friend," Thor said. Sif nodded in return before turning back to the Einhenjar.

"Let's go," Loki beckoned to glanced at Clio who was still staring at Sif. Her brows were scrunched with worry. He squeezed again her hand that he was holding making her look at him. "She'll be fine. You should worry about the warriors who will engage at her," he reassured her.

She heaved a deep breath before nodding. Together, the four of them continued to the great hall. Her eyes surveyed the destruction of the area. She saw this on her vision. This was where the Einhenjar and the dark elves took battle. They rounded up the corner and her eyes widened at the ship. Below the ship was Volstagg waiting for them.

"I will give you as much time as I can," Volstagg stated and nodded at the two of them.

"Thank you, my friend," Thor stated and pat the voluminous man his shoulder.

"We're going to fly this thing?" Clio asked when they walked inside the ship.

She and Jane stood behind the two princes as they figured out the switches of the ship. On the window, she saw many Einhenjar running towards them. Volstagg readied his stance to attack.

"Will he be okay?" Jane asked.

"Probably not," Loki answered nonchalantly. The look Clio gave to Loki made him chuckle. "But he's Volstagg. He doesn't give up." He turned to his brother who was currently pressing every button on the control panel. "Whatever you are doing, brother, I suggest you do it faster," he stated looking over Thor's shoulder.

"Shut up, Loki," Thor growled.

"You must have missed something," Loki commented.

"I didn't," he replied and was pushing the button really hard. "I'm pressing every button on this thing!"

"Don't hit it," Loki interjected. "Just press it gently." He turned slightly at Clio with an amused smirk regarding to his brother's distress. Clio rolled her eyes at him.

Thor glared sideways to his brother and started pounding the control. "I am pressing it **GENTLY**." With that, he pounded a button with his palm and there was a whirring sound. The controls and monitors of the ship lit up and Thor emitted a victorious chuckle.

They almost stumbled when the ship suddenly lurched up. "This is going to be bumpy," Clio commented. Her eyes widened in shock when Thor turned the ship around destroying the columns of the hall.

"I think you missed a column."

"Shut up."

She grabbed Jane who almost stumbled to the ground when the ship lurched forward in a lightning speed.

"So, what's the plan?" Clio asked trying to ignore the uneasiness on her stomach about this.

"Yeah, Thor, what's the plan?" Loki repeated and Thor rolled his eyes at his brother.

"We'll take the battle to Malekith," he replied.

Clio scowled at him. "What?" she exclaimed. "Just the four of us?"

"Yes, that is Thor's brilliant plan," Loki mocked then turned to his brother. "Why don't you let me take over? I'm clearly the better pilot."

"Right," Thor mocked back. "Out of the two of us, which one who can actually fly?" to demonstrate this fact, Thor dodged the shot that was being fired at them. "Wohoo," Thor exclaimed in glee. But his glee was short lived because Jane suddenly collapsed.

"Jane," Clio called out and went over to her friend.

"Oh dear," Loki commented nonchalantly.

"Jane?" Thor asked worriedly. The said woman waved her hand to indicate she was conscious.

"I'm okay," she replied weakly. Clio grabbed her hand and checked her pulse.

"Her pulse is weak," Clio informed them. "We need to get the Aether out of her system."

The news brought distraction to Thor that he did not see the small ships that were following them. A structure of building was up ahead and it was too late to steer the wheels. The tail of the ship destroyed the structure.

Loki opened his mouth to retaliate. "Not a word," Thor threatened.

Clio tried to hold her nausea at the way Thor was flying the ship. She could feel vertigo coming up and that must have been what Jane was feeling because she fainted again.

"Now they're following us," she heard Loki commented. She did not look up at the two as she was trying to calm herself down. It was good thing the voice was not responding to her distress at the moment. She grabbed Jane when the ships shot the tail of their ship.

"Now they're firing at us!"

"Yeah, thank you for the commentary, Loki; it's not at all distracting!"

"Will you two both shut up and focus on flying!" Clio shouted at the two of them making them silent while glaring at each other. "Look out!" she warned.

The ship steered a little but the tail of the ship didn't miss the statue of the former king of Asgard. "Well done, you just decapitated your grandfather," Loki retorted. Thor and Clio looked back at the statue and to their horror, the head of Bor, the former king, fell off its body. They passed over to the bridge and into the mountains but the ships that were following their ship kept on shooting.

"Okay, this is wonderful," Loki started. Clio glanced back at the two who were glaring with each other. "This is a tremendous idea," he sarcastically said. "I thought you have changed but clearly you have not."

"Loki, stop," she hissed but the latter did not even spare her a glance.

"You said you planned this accurately," he accused and walked to the other side of Thor near her. The god of thunder was busy flying this thing but she could already see the toll of Loki's words on him. "Let's steal the biggest, most obvious ship in Asgard and escape in that; flying across the city and smashing into everything in spite of everyone that can see it. It's brilliant, Thor! It's trulybril…" A scream escaped her lips when Thor pushed Loki out of the ship.

"Why did you do that?" she yelled at him as he picked up Jane.

"Please, my lady, trust me," Thor said very seriously. "Jump now," he ordered.

She stared at him warily at first then Jane. She knew in her heart that Thor would not do anything to harm Jane nor her but she couldn't help but be wary. At long last, she nodded. They must have planned something big for him to push his brother out of the ship. With closed eyes, she jumped out of the ship.

Her screams where shortlived when she landed over a pair of arms. Automatically, her arms shot up to the body she landed. She opened her eyes to see Fandral grinning at her.

"Fandral!" she exclaimed in relief.

"Why, hello there, my fair lady," he greeted with a gleeful grin. Another seconds later, Thor landed next to them with Jane on his arm. "You were known to Asgard as mysterious and grace but with that landing, I could hardly believe it, Prince Loki," Fandral teased and laughed. She turned to where Loki and saw him on fours regaining his balance.

The god of mischief turned to them and glared at Fandral then at her. She just realized that she was still on Fandral's arm and wiggled her way out. She smiled cheekily at Loki like a kid caught stealing. She walked towards him and helped him on his feet.

"Next time, can you tell me the full details of your plan?" he growled at Thor to which the latter grinned.

"I accept your apology, brother," he teased as he set down Jane next to them. "Now, to your secret pathway," he added. Loki took over where Fandral stood and grabbed the wheels.

Her eyes widened a fraction when she suddenly felt a shiver ran down her spine. _'So, we're going on an adventure,'_ the voice spoke. She sighed inwardly.

' _Are we going on a killing spree?'_

'We're not,' she thought. 'Get off my head, will you?'

" _But I can't do that. You and I are one. What you desire is what I desire and what I desire is also what you desire. I am already a part of you. You cannot push me away, dear Clio.'_

'What do you mean?' she asked inside her head.

The voice laughed in her head that made her clenched her teeth. _'You'll see, you'll see.'_

'Tell me what you know,' she demanded but the voice stopped talking. She was driven back to the present when their mini ship almost got hit. She glanced back and surely, there was a ship following them.

"Fandral," Thor called out.

"Right," the dashing man agreed and grabbed a rope below them. He readied her stance and glanced back to each of them. "For Asgard," he nodded at them before jumping off the ship.

Her eyes widened and looked over to where he landed. To her amazement, he landed on the ship that was following them and singlehandedly defeated the _Einhenjar_ on board. He winked back at her and waved.

They sail across the sea of Asgard and the rocky mountain. To her relief, no one was following them at the moment. She didn't know what plan the two have in mind or what was about to happen but she needs to trust them if it meant saving Jane.

' _Do not be a fool. You should not trust them.'_ The voice inside her head hissed.

'And why should I not?' she asked back.

' _Why should you?'_ it taunted back. _'You are better off alone. That's how you are made.'_

'No, that's how YOU are made.'

A sarcastic chuckle resounded in her head. _'You still have no idea. You poor little thing.'_

'What?' she asked but it did not spoke back instead it laughed again. 'Damn it!'

"Clio!" Thor called out. She stared back and saw him pointing at her hand which was clenched over the edge of the boat. To her surprise, the metal was bent than normal. She slowly retracted her hand to inspect it.

"What the hell?" she muttered as she gazed back and forth at her hand and the bent metal.

"You must be getting stronger," Loki commented without even sparing her a glance and Thor nodded in agreement.

"Why do you sound like it's a good thing?" she asked with her eyes narrowed.

"At least you can be useful in the upcoming battle," he answered back and she rolled her eyes.

"Loki!" Thor called out and pointed ahead. To her horror, they were flying straight to the mountains

"If it were easy, everyone would do it," his brother answered smoothly as he continued to steer the wheel.

"Have you gone mad?" she shouted and clutched the side of the ship as she braced for the impact.

"Possibly," Loki replied with glee.

Thor grabbed Jane's shoulder and Clio's ankle just in case it gets rough. The side of their ship skidded inside the crack of the mountain as they continued to move forward. The lights started flickering around them. The once grayish-brown color of the rock that was their background slowly turned into a greenish wasteland.

"Ta-da!"

She and Thor looked around the barren wasteland that they entered. The air was humid and the sky was dark. It was the complete opposite of Asgard. She could feel the sinister energy inside her dancing and the voice inside her head humming as if it was a nice day at home. That feeling brought horror to her being. 'What I desire is what you also desire.' She remembered what the voice said. It was wrong. If it found beauty to this place, she found it to be horrifying.

"Where are we?" she asked still looking over the ruins of the planet. Remnants of spaceships and building lay across the field. When she looked closely, there were skeletons on the ground near it. This planet has seen the worst. It became the battle ground for the ultimate war.

"We are in Svartalfheim, my lady," Thor answered.

"It felt like there is no living soul here," she commented and rubbed her arms when she felt the chilling breeze. She turned her back to the view and leaned back to her seat. She had a very bad feeling about this plan of theirs. None of the two gods bothered to tell her what they planned ahead.

"That's because there are none," Loki answered. She turned to look at him in surprise. "Every living thing in Svartalfheim was eliminated by our grandfather with the war against the dark elves."

"Are you even sure this is where the dark elves are right now?" she asked the two. They did not respond but spared a glance at each other. "I thought so," she muttered then scooted over to where Jane was sleeping. "Still, we need to get it out of her system. I don't know when she will last."

"We will," Thor promised and patted her shoulder. "I will do everything in my power to save her."

"She is holding up," she reassured them as she watched Thor caressed his beloved's hair. If only there was a way to help her friend.

"For now," Loki supplied as he sat across from her. She kicked him on his chin making him glare at her. She glared back. But Thor did not comment nor spare a glance at his brother. "What I could do with the power that flow through those veins," he added while he gazed at Jane.

He glanced back at her and saw her face void with any emotions at his statement. His smile dropped slightly and looked away. She sometimes wondered if Loki really meant what he was saying or he just want to taunt everyone since he was the god of mischief. But the she also meant what she promised back then. If he ever did lose himself again, she'll find him.

"She's stronger in ways that you don't even know," Thor replied.

"Say good bye," Loki muttered and she glanced at him in disbelief. But Loki was looking at Thor with a grim expression.

"Loki, stop," she murmured at him but the look he gave her made her shut up. She realized that this was his way of venting his anger and frustration; to hurt others through words.

"Not today," his older brother stated knowing fully well what his brother intends to do.

"This day, the next, a hundred years, it's nothing," Loki stood up without letting go of the wheels. "It's a heartbeat. You'll never be ready."

Clio glanced back at Thor who was trying to ignore his brother's words knowing it was just taunting him but she could already see the vein on his neck trying to hold it inside him.

"The only woman whose love you prized will be snatched from you," Loki added.

"And will that satisfy you?" growled Thor.

"Satisfaction is not in my nature."

"Surrender is not in mine."

Loki smirked at him humorlessly. He glanced back at her and she could see the contempt in his eyes. "The son of Odin," he stated with a mocking smile.

"No! Not just of Odin," he said with clenched teeth. He rose and step forward to Loki. "You think you alone were loved of mother? You have her tricks but I have her trust!"

Clio stood up warily as well but did not try to approach the two. This was not about Jane anymore. This was about Frigga. What happened to their mother put a heavy toll on them both and if she sensed correctly, this was the only time they spoke about her condition and they were blaming each other for what happened. Her heart was pounding rapidly against her ribcage as Loki step forward to his brother. His face was contorted with anger and disbelief. She didn't know how to stop them if ever they got in to a fight.

"Trust?" Loki exclaimed in disbelief and anger. "Was that her last expression? Trust? Look where it got her?!" He spit the word out. Clio bit her lower lip. They were blaming each other when the real one who was at fault was her.

"What help were you?" Thor spat back.

"If you didn't bring that mortal in Asgard, she would not have been in that condition!" Loki yelled back and pushed his brother.

That made the god of thunder snapped. He leaped towards his brother and knocks him back making Clio gasp in tried to stop them by grabbing Thor's cape and pulled him away but the god did not even budge.

"Guys, stop!" she tried telling them and putting herself between them but Thor continued to slam Loki on the edge of the boat.

"She would not have been in that condition had you not left them! You knew that you are also to blame!" Thor raised his fist at him and attempted to punch him. With all her might, she raised both of her hands to push them apart before Thor's fist could connect to Loki's jaw.

"Stop!" she screamed. Her eyes were brimming with tears as an invisible force field that she created broke them apart. Her chest moved up and down as she breathed rapidly at the sudden energy. She swallowed hard as tears fell from her eyes.

The two brothers paused in shock before Thor slowly backed away. They both stared at her. With a heavy breath, she let go of the shield and felt suddenly vulnerable. "Stop it, please!" she pleaded."Frigga would not have wanted the two of you to fight," she added softly as she tried to control her sobs.

"It was my fault why she was in that condition," she sobbed and stared at the ground trying not to look at the two. "The visions showed me the dark elvesarrivingbefore. I did not know whether my mind was only playing tricks on me or not. If I have told you first, she would not have faced Malekith alone," she added and put a hand over her mouth as she sobbed. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

No one uttered a word and the only sound that they can hear was the wind and her sobs. She sank on the ground sobbing. This was it. This was the moment they would hate her. For a scientist, she could be really stupid and vulnerable at times. She wanted to go back home in Earth and to Tony's waiting arms. How she wished she could hear her father's comforting words.

To her surprise, she felt a strong pair of arms enveloped her into a hug. She raised her head and saw Loki hugging her to his chest. She could not see his face clearly but that's okay. It already made her feel better and made her sobbed harder on his chest.

"You stupid mortal," he muttered as he rubbed her back. She felt Thor knelt down beside her and put a hand on her hair to ruffle it like he always did.

"You did not mean for it to happen, Little One," he stated and smiled at her. "Although, I am a bit upset that you did not tell us all about it but the most important thing is mother is alive and you are right; mother would not have wanted us to fight."

"Well, she wouldn't actually be shocked," supplied Loki making Thor and Clio chuckle as she wiped her tears.

"We will avenge what happened to her," Thor stated and she felt Loki nodded in agreement. "and I want you to help us do it."

* * *

A/N: Hey guys! I'm really, really sorry about the last chapter. I hope you still read that. It was just a minor changes. Anyways, I hoped you like this one! Please review!


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Marvel Franchise. I only own my OC.**

* * *

 **Chapter 20**

 **One Last Breath**

 **~Loki~**

They have been travelling Svartelfheim in silence for an hour now. After her emotional breakdown, Clio fell asleep next to his brother's mortal due to exhaustion and maybe even lack of sleep. The circles under her eyes told him she never bothered sleeping since their lock up. His brother sat in front of the boat next to his beloved. They had not spoken to each other ever since after Clio fell asleep. But the atmosphere between have changed. The tension was gone and was replaced with the determination to avenge their mother.

He sighed as he steered the wheels slightly without altering their course. As they move deeper in Svartelfheim, the more the air around them got colder. He did not felt it at first but when he saw the dark-haired mortal shivered slightly that's when he put the boat in autopilot and scooted next to her. With a flicker of his hand, he conjured two blankets before them. Thor watched him and was slightly surprised when he gave him the other one.

"She must be getting cold," he commented pertaining to Jane who kept on scooting to Thor's warmth.

"Thank you, brother," Thor gingerly nodded his head and accepted the blanket to put over Jane

"You want to say something?" he asked not looking up at his older brother when he felt his eyes on him.

Thor sighed and shrugged his shoulder. "I am just happy that she never turned her back on you; like the rest of us did" Loki did not comment but nodded his head. "She's one of a kind, isn't she?"

"Yes, a very stupid and stubborn one," Loki replied as he caressed her cheek to which she sighed contently.

"But you love her?" Asked the God of Thunder.

"With all my heart and soul," Loki stated with so much conviction that even Thor was surprised at his sudden answer. Maybe he was expecting him to deny it but what can he do. This may be their last battle and who knows what will happen after this fight. But one thing is for sure, he'll do anything to save her. Even if it meant betraying his brother again.

"But we cannot ignore it any longer," Thor started making Loki raised an eye brow and turn to him. "Her heritage, I mean. You and I both know the stories and legends of the past. Xhylorians have the ability to attach their genes to a host and that can transfer from one host to another," he added.

"Yes?" Loki asked trying to suppress the dread coming up to him.

"But the hosts were killed not long after they got infected except for the three known species in the universe which are the Asgardian, Eternals and Celestials. That's why Bor easily eliminated them one by one because of it," Thor replied making Loki scrunched his face in confusion.

"So, are you saying that she might be one of those three species?" he asked.

"That could be or she already has Xhylorian heritage in her blood," Thor added.

"Well, she is not Asgardian because if she is, Odin would have known immediately," Loki pointed out and the blond-haired Asgardian nodded in agreement.

"Stark mentioned that she was adopted. There is not a moment when Stark would not boast his adoptive daughter's unusual intelligence," Thor informed him.

Slowly, a thought occurred on Loki's face. "Xhylorians are known for their great intellect and memories," he muttered then put a finger on his lip while he thinks about it. "But so does some of the Eternals," he added. "If we are talking about great intellect, Xhylorians are better than the Eternals. And besides, Eternals were already history."

"The same thought we had on Dark Elves and Xhylorians. We thought them dead yet here they are," Thor counteract making Loki sigh in distress. "I never got a chance to ask Stark the whole story of her adoption yet."

"If she is an Eternal, she would have a greater chance that she will not be corrupted," Loki informed and Thor nodded. "She could even be stronger than any entity in the universe if what we guess about her heritage is true."

"Then maybe what mother saw in her visions are true?" Thor suggested. A dead silence descended upon them at the thought.

"That's not going to happen," he gritted. The visions they were talking about the darkest event the universe has yet to see. At the center of the vision was Clio. His mother was still not sure what that was about whether it was of good or the bad that was why she kept a closer eye on the mortal. Even he feared for her safety above everybody else's.

"We cannot avoid that," Thor insisted making his brother turn his glare on him. "You saw how she progresses. Everyday her power grows strong inside her and we still have no knowledge about it or how to get it out of her."

"So what do you suggest? That we kill her?" he spat out and glared at his brother.

"You damn well know I do not do such things."

"Of course, you don't," Loki replied drily and rolled his eyes at him. He knew Thor was right but he could not just accept it. Not yet, at least. As long as he lives, he'll never let something happen to her.

~Clio~

The smell of smoke made her jerk awake just for her eyes to widen at the sight that greeted her. She was still sitting on the boat that apparantly had stopped. She was alone and in front of her were smoke and fire.

"Loki?" she called out and coughed out the smoke that she inhaled as she turned around in search for him but he was not there. "Thor? Jane?"

Panic bubbled in her chest when no one answered her call. The last time she saw them was at the boat; she fell asleep with Loki holding her. Did they run off when she was sleeping? Did they get ambush and she was left behind?

Shaking her head, she stood up slowly. "Loki!" She called out again; her voice quivering slightly and her.

Could they have left her alone? Deep inside her heart she knew Loki wouldn't just abandon her. She knew that and he made a promise.

Slowly, she climbed out of the boat. The smoke was thick and she could barely see a thing. Silently, she prayed the boat was docked on a lower ground.

A yelp escaped her when she stepped on to something making her lose her balance and stumbled on the ground. Groaning and cursing herself, she tried to sit up but on the process, her hand landed on to something soft and cold; the texture felt something like a skin. Her eyes slowly glance towards the object just for eyes to widen in horror. Her body felt paralyzed as she gazed at the object of her sight: an unknown dead body and then a blood curdling scream burst out of her.

Quickly, she crawled away from the body just to stumbled upon another one and then another and another until she realized that there was no escaping it.

She clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle the sob that was pending to come out. Her hands were shaking as she stood.

And ther she was, standing in a field full of dead bodies; the hair at the back of her neck stood at the sight. The smell of blood filled her nostrils that she tried not to gag. But how did she end up here?

'This is a nightmare,' she thought solemnly. 'This is not real.' She closed her eyes and counted to ten just in case she suddenly wake up but the smell of the blood was so strong.

When she opened them, her hope deflated with the same sight. Slowly, she slid to the ground.

"How could they just leave me here?" She asked to herself as she tried to look around for any signs of her friends among the corpses but not even their shadows were present.

Her eyes landed to a corpse with its eyes open, staring blankly at her. What caught her attention and made her tremble was the color of its eyes: the same shade of grey like hers. At first she thought it was a human until she took a closer look; they have the body of a human but longer. Its skin was papery white whether it was because they were dead or it was their natural color. It had claws instead of nails. The shocking event overwhelmed her body.

'This has got to be a dream,' she thought to herself as realization dawned on her. If she was not mistaken, hundreds of Xhylorian lay dead on the field. Her face was stricken with horror as she covered her mouth to suppress the whimper that was pending to get out of her lips.

It was a vision of the past; she was stuck in the memory of the Xhylorian. Her heart grieved at the horrifying sight.

"Y-you will p-pay for this," She turned towards the voice that spoke. She looked down to see a Xhylorian trying to crawl from dead bodies to dead bodies. Its face was filled with tears and grief. It must have not seen her.

"I have to do it, friend," her eyes widened when she recognized Malekith's voice. She saw him walking towards the injured Xhylorian. "That idiot, Bor, was easily convinced that you post a threat to the world when you are not."

"H-How dare y-you," it managed to blurt out. It spoke of a language that she surprisingly understood. "M-My people trusted y-you."

Malekith kneel in front of the Xhylorian. "A sacrifice I have to make to gain our dreams, my friend. Can you not see that Bor already suspects me? I have to turn your people over to the Asgardians so they will turn their eyes on you and not me."

"My p-people are not made to be your pawn," it hissed; its grey eyes filled with hatred towards the leader of the dark elves.

Malekith smirked at it and before she or the Xhylorian could react, he stabbed it through its head with a knife. The sound of the flesh crunching made her flinch.

'He betrayed us.' The voice whispered in grief inside her head. 'He was responsible for the annihilation of my kind, your kind.'

"My kind," she repeated as she gazed over the million bodies strewn on the ground bathing with their own blood. She could feel the grief that was coming from the voice inside her head.

'Make him pay.' The voice pleaded. 'Make him pay for what he did.'

She balled her fist and glared towards the retreating dark elves. A sense of hatred surged up to her being for Malekith. Never did she felt this"I will," she promised as she felt the swirling energy around her; she was expecting it to be a sinister energy that she once felt onthe first outburst of her energy. This time, the energy that surrounded her was warm but held deep grief.

A gasp escaped her lip when she felt being pulled out of the portal and she unconsciously sat up from where she was lying. She was back on the boat and next to her was Jane sleeping.

"Lady Clio," Thor greeted in front of her with a worry. "Is everything all right?"

She looked around the area. They were still flying in the fields of Svartelfheim. She sighed in relief and her eyes landed on Loki who was staring at her with worry next to the wheels. It seemed like the nightmare she just saw was real and that really happened in the past. But one thing is for sure, she have a new mission to accomplish.

"I'm fine," she assured the two princes as she composed herself. She sat up properly and glanced back down at her friend who was still sleeping peacefully beside her. Crouching next to her, she started checking her vitals. "Was she asleep this whole time?"

"Yes," Thor answered moving back to Loki to give her space.

Clio put her palm on Jane's neck and her eyebrows furrowed when she felt it cold. A sense of dread overtook her body as she shook her shoulders.

"Jane?" she called out a little frantic than she intended. Her friend gave a small grunt in response. "Your temperature is dropping," she informed her as she rubbed her shoulder.

"What's happening?" Thor asked worriedly.

"The more we go further deep, the weaker she gets," she informed the god of thunder. To her surprise, Jane opened her eyes revealing the same eyes the dark elves possessed. She backed away slightly in surprise when Jane sat up and crawled at the edge of the boat.

"Jane?" Thor called out as he followed her at the edge just in case she fell over.

"We're approaching," Loki announced as he watch Thor grab Jane and sat her back. Clio walked over to him and glanced at him warily. "Did you dream of something unpleasant?" he asked in a low voice.

She sighed and looked down at her feet, contempalting whether to tell him about her visions. "I saw the visions of the past. How the Xhylorian perished in the hands of your grandfather and it was all because of Malekith," she confessed telling him partially of what she saw and Loki listened carefully.

"Malekith is cunning and deceitful," he commented when she was finished. She left out the part where she agreed to avenge them because he'll probably refused to let that happen. A part of her did not want to do it but the grief inside her head felt so real. She couldn't just ignore this and she even made a promise to do it.

"What is your plan in stopping him?" she asked as she gazed at the front. She could already see the ship of the dark elves. "With Jane's presence, they already knew we're here."

"Just follow our lead and never stray from Jane's side," he instructed as he tucked a hair behind her ear.

She glanced at him through the corner of her eyes. "You can call her by name but you can't call me by mine? Ever since we met you never once called me by it," she complained with furrowed brows.

Loki rolled his eyes at her. "Just do as we tell you," he said as he gracefully landed from the boat.

He helped her get off and followed Thor and Jane who were already on the lead. They crouched towards one of the big rock and surveyed the area.

"Lady Clio, might I have a favor if you can use again your sight?" Thor asked and Clio raised her eyebrow at him in confusion. "When you saw the dark elves approaching back in Asgard, can you use that again?"

"Uh, I really don't know how I did that. It just happened," Clio glanced at Loki in uncertainty. The god of mischief was staring at her in curiosity too that she sighed. "And I might get out of control if I used my energy."

"Don't worry, I'll help you manage your energy," Loki assured and he held her hand.

"I'll try," she muttered. Honestly, she didn't even know how that happened.

"Now try to release your energy and I will tame it." She closed her eyes and did as she was told.

She focused her energy in her stomach as it swirled like wild fire. A groan escaped her lips when she felt a stinging sensation in her stomach but unlike the energy she felt in the fight with Malekith, this energy felt calmer than it was before. There was another foreign energy that surged up from her hand and into the energy in her stomach. It must have been Loki as he gripped her hand tighter. She felt the energy crawling up to her body slowly and into her eyes. When she opened them again, she was inside the ship surrounded by the dark elves. The dark elves were talking in language that she did not know. She saw Malekith listening to them from his throne. His face contorted with no emotions. Finally, Malekith silenced them up when he raised his hand.

A cold shiver ran down her body when he spoke a language she could understand. "They are already here. I can feel the power of the Aether just outside this ship," he said then looked at his minions. He turned to his right hand, "I want you to kill the two Asgardian princes, Algrim." He was talking to the monster who struck Frigga from behind. She balled her fist at the sight of him. The monster bowed in response.

"On this day, the universe will bend its knees to us! Rejoice! For this is the start of the dark era!" He boomed and the dark elves erupted in cheers of delight. But it was abruptly stopped when Malekith raised yet again his hand to silence them.

It surprised her when he looked directly at her straight at her. To which she answered with a glare when he started grinning widely; besides, it was impossible for him to see her in this kind of state. It took everything she had not to wipe the cocky grin on the elf's face.

"We have unwanted visitor in our ship," he announced. Every dark elf slowly turned around to look at her. A gasp escaped her lips as Malekith maliciously laughed at her distress. "You think I would not see you?" Roared the dark elf. Horror gripped her as she stared at their expressionless face. It was like a nightmare yet this was true. "Prepare yourself, Xhylorian, for I am coming to kill you all!"

A loud gasp escapes from her lips as she was shaken up by Loki. "They're coming," she muttered as she tried to regain her energy; her voice quivering at what just transpired. "He knew we're here. He looked right to me," she informed them.

"How?" Thor asked in confusion. "How did he know you were there?"

"I-I don't know," she muttered and closed her eyes. She could still see the expressionless face of the elves and that made her shiver. What also bothered her was the way Malekith promised to kill them. She couldn't bear that to happen. "This was a bad idea. We should not be here," she rambled.

"Calm down," Loki ordered but she was shaking and rambling

"Malekith will kill us all! We don't stand a-"

"Clio!" he hissed and grabbed her face with both of his hands. "Look at me and breathe," he ordered.

Slowly, she did as he told and stared at his green eyes. That gave her a calming effect. No matter where they go, Loki would always be there and that assured her. 'After this is all over, I'm never letting go of this man,' she thought. She tuned out the voice inside her head when it started to speak. All that mattered right now was him.

"Loki," his name ghosted around her lips as she grabbed the hands that were holding her face. "T-That was the first time you called me by my name," she muttered as she searched his face. Despite the terror she received a while ago, she couldn't help the victorious grin spreading her face. It was so foreign coming from him but yet she felt so good hearing it.

Loki looked taken aback slightly before a genuine smile spread his lips. He leaned forward to her and landed his lips on her forehead as he rubbed her arms. "That was a dumb thing to say after being terrorized," he remarked to which earned a chuckle from her. "You need not be worried, I'll never let anything happen to you," he whispered. "Trust me," he added and she nodded.

He turned back to his brother who was still watching the ship from above the was lingering behind him. "He's here," announced Thor.

Loki helped her to her feet and together they joined the two. Clio stayed next to Jane while Loki climbed on the rock next to Thor.

~Loki~

"I told you before, brother," Loki began in a low tone. He briefly glanced to the two women before looking back at Thor; his face deadly serious. "If anything wrong were to happen, I would not hesitate to protect only Clio."

Thor nodded solemnly. "You coming here is already enough for me, brother. I am glad you accepted my offer," he replied. They both stared forward as Malekith with his goons descended from his ship.

"Here he comes," Loki announced.

~Clio~

Jane grabbed Clio's arm and the latter gave her a reassuring smile. She needed to focus so she could be a help to the two princes. She hoped her combat skills that she learned from Natasha didn't go rusty from the lack of training.

They both watched the two exchange words with each other; their long hair blowing from the strong wind. She could see from below that Malekith stopped and looked up at the two Asgardians. She did not know whether he could see her and Jane or not since his only focused was to the two males up ahead.

"You know this plan of yours could get us all killed," Loki commented in a loud voice. They were talking in hushed tone a while ago so when he finally spoke up, it somewhat surprised the two of them. This plan they talked about was still a mystery to them.

"Yes, possibly," Thor answered in the same tone. "Don't forget what we talked about."

"You still don't trust me brother," Loki commented while staring down at the dark elves below.

Her brows furrowed at what was happening. The look on Jane's face also showed that she too was confused.

"Would you?" Thor asked back as he too gazed down from below.

"No," Loki answered making Thor and Clio glanced at him warily. "I wouldn't," and with that, he stabbed the unaware Thor on his side making him grunt in pain before Loki pushed him away. Thor rolled down the small hill.

"Thor!" Jane screamed.

"No!" Clio muttered in horror as she watched Loki jumped down from the rock to follow his brother.

She and Jane followed the two of them as fast as they could. Her heart sunk every second as she watched Loki kicked Thor on the side. What was happening, she did not know.

"You really think I cared about Frigga?" he mocked and gave another kick. "About any of you? All I've ever wanted was you and Odin dead on my feet!"

"Loki, stop!" she screamed but was pushed backward when Loki produced a force field making her land on her back. This was not happening.

'But it is,' said the voice. 'I did tell you not to trust the Asgardians.'

She shook her head trying to get rid of the voice as she sat up just in time to see Loki cut off Thor's hand. A scream erupted from Thor as he clutched his severed hand. Jane ran to her beloved's side and tried to get him to his feet but Loki grabbed her by the waist and turned towards Malekith.

"Shit," she muttered as she stood up. She must protect Jane at all cost. If Loki turned against them then she would have to fight him off.

'I will find you,' she heard her own voice echoing from her head making her pause slightly. That was her promise to him. Her heart was throbbing with pain. How could this happen? Didn't he promise he would protect her?

"Malekith!" Loki called out as Jane struggled away from his grasp. "I am Loki from Jotunheim and I bring you a gift," he added as he pushed Jane on Malekith's feet.

Clio pushed herself up with all her might and ran towards Jane but Loki grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back behind him.

"I only ask one in return," he continued then glanced back down at Clio who was giving him a death glare but chose to ignore it, "A good seat from which to watch Asgard burn."

"You wouldn't!" she hissed back at him as she tried to struggle free. She punched and kicked him with all her might but he held onto her tightly.

"And what of the girl?"Malekith asked; Clio glared back at him.

Loki tensed at the question for a second before he relaxed. "What do you mean?" he asked back.

"I wish to have that girl from my army," he answered. Clio swore at him that would have made Tony either proud of her or feel scandalous. "Feisty mouse," mocked Malekith. "I know just the way to tame your kind."

"I am not an animal!" she hissed as she tried mustering up her energy but she was almost out of it from using the Sight a while ago.

"Oh, you are not," Malekith replied. "You could be my weapon," he added then turned towards Loki. "Give me the two of them and I will give you what you want, Jotun."

"You wouldn't dare," she hissed at Loki who didn't even spare her a look before he tossed her next to Jane.

"So be it," Loki said in a cold voice. She could hear her heart breaking at his betrayal.

A grin appeared from Malekith's ugly face before stepping forward to Thor who was still grunting in pain.

"Look at me," he ordered before he pushed the god of thunder on his back using his feet. He slowly raised his hand making Jane float from the ground. They could only watch as the Aether was extracted from Jane's body slowly. Her eyes were turning back to her normal eye color as red substances flowed from her mouth.

A few seconds later, Jane fell from the ground. "Jane!" Clio called out and tried to catch her head before it makes impact to the ground.

"Loki, now!" she heard Thor called out. Before she could react, Thor's severed hand, which she realized was Loki's illusion, grew back and summoned Mjolnir to him. Before he could strike the Aether with lightning, Loki pushed her down next to Jane and shielded the two of them with his body. They all watched as the Aether exploded into millions of pieces of fragments.

Dead silence descended upon everyone as the four of them waited. "Was it destroyed?" Clio asked.

"No," Jane answered as they watched the fragments of the Aether slowly floated around them and gathered near Malekith.

To their horror and the dark elves' delight, the Aether entered its true host and merged with his body. A few seconds later, Malekith glanced up; his eyes were blank before he glanced at Kurse. The two of them backed away towards the ship as the other dark elves moved forward towards them.

Thor, one by one, struck them with his hammer as he ran towards Malekith before he could escape. Kurse threw a device at Jane and before it could be activated, Loki pushed them both away. As soon as the two mortals were out of the way, the device opened revealing to be a portal.

"Loki!" she called out in horror when the god of mischief was slowly sucked into the portal. "Come on!" she growled to herself as she tried to summon another wave of energy in her body. The wild aura around her swirled freely from her body making her yell from the pain. It was like her skin was being ripped from her body but she pulled it together as she focused on the Asgardian before she threw herself at Loki.

They rolled together at the ground as the portal closed. She landed on top of him, straddling his hips and before Loki could react further, she gave him a powerful punch on the cheek making him grunt in pain and surprise.

"If you ever do that again I swear I will never forgive you. Ever," she threatened as she breathed rapidly. The energy around her was slowly dissipating. She looked up at the dark sky and sighed in relief as she felt the brimming of tears in her eyes. "You are going to be the death of…" before she could finish her sentence, he sat up, grabbed the back of her head and crashed his lips on hers. She immediately responded to his kiss and poured all of their frustration and anxiety towards one another into the kiss. His lips moved to her lower lips and she swore she melted in his arms.

When they parted, the two of them were out of breath as they gazed in to each other's eyes. There was unspoken word between them but the twinkle in their eyes made them both smile before giving him another peck on his lips. They wanted to linger more but the chaos around them made them broke apart.

"Be careful," he whispered as he helped her stood up. With a glance at each other, they both face the four dark elves circling them like a predator to their prey.

Loki readied his knives on both hands and nodded to her before he lunged forward. She knew she could not summon anymore energy so she used her combat skills to fight them off, thankfully she was still able to do it despite the lack of training and the ache in her body from to much energy. She could see from a distance that Thor was battling Kurse. Using her knowledge from Natasha's training, she took down one of them and grabbed the gun from the fallen elf and aimed it at the other approaching elf. A scream from a distance made her look up just in time to see Jane being surrounded by two elves.

She ran towards her friend to bring down one on the ground and a scrunched sound of a neck breaking emitted from it.

"Clio!" Jane's horrified voice made her glanced at her.

"What?" she asked; trying to ignore the sweet sensation on the back of her neck at the sound of it. She shoot the other one with the gun she got from the elf.

"Y-You killed t-the… it," she stuttered. Clio couldn't blame her, even she felt disgusted with herself.

"Better to kill it than let it kill you, Janey," Clio replied but she could feel the voice cheering at her first kill.

'If you just saved your energy rather than using it to save the traitor, we could have annihilated everyone here in seconds,' it replied cheerily.

"Shut up," she muttered as she rolled over before she could get strike by the last elf. She kicked it on its shin making it fall forward and pushed the heel of her palm on its chin forcefully. It fell from the ground unconscious with a broken jaw.

She turned around to see Loki walking towards Kurse and Thor to which the latter was being beaten to death. She grabbed Jane to join Loki but two more dark elves blocked their way. Clio put her friend behind her as she aimed her gun. The new sets of dark elves were carrying knives. She pulled the trigger of the gun and cursed it didn't shoot.

"What kind of an elf bring a gun on a fight unloaded?" Jane grunted making Clio chuckle slightly before throwing the gun away. She readied her stance whilst protecting Jane as the dark elves approached. They circled them slowly before lunging towards them.

She sidestepped away from it and grabbed its extended arm before slamming it down on her knees and breaking it on the process. The other one, she saw from the corner of her eyes, ran towards her back knife ready to plunge but she grabbed the elf that she was holding and used it as her shield. The elf was momentarily shocked before she delivered another punch on its jawline.

Before the two elves fall from the ground, she heard Thor scream. The two of them glanced up and to her horror, saw Loki's chest embedded with a sword before Kurse pushed him off the ground. Her eyes widened at the sight.

"Loki!" she screamed and ran towards them. It was like everything she ever feared. It was like what the voice been warning her all along. This was not happening.

As she ran, she heard Loki say "See you in hell, monster," before another portal opened on the monster's body and was sucked into it. Thor ran up to Loki who was writhing in pain.

"No, no, no," he muttered as he pulled his brother's body up to his arms.

"Loki," she called out when she reached the two brothers and kneeled next to them. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she clutched his face.

"Ah, you fool," Thor said, his voice quivering. "You didn't listen."

"I-I know, I-I'm a fool, I'm a fool," Loki grunted; his voice and face contorted in pain.

"It's okay, you're going to be okay, Loki, please," she begged as she fumbled on his clothing to see the wound. But Loki grabbed her shaking hands to his and stopped her.

"I'm sorry," he muttered and she shook her head as she felt tears flow from her eyes.

"No, don't you dare," she sobbed and retracted her hand from his. She ripped his clothing and the sight of the wound made her whimper. There might have been a poison on the blade because the veins surrounding the wound was already black and was already reaching his heart.

Loki shook his head weakly. "I-I can't…" he whispered as he caressed her tear stained cheek.

"Yes, you can! You promised, Loki. You promised you'll stay by my side," she grieved.

"I-I know, I'm sorry," he gasped; his chest heaved deep breaths. "Clio… always remember… my heart… is yours…"

"I'm so not going to forgive you if you die," her lips trembled as she cried.

"Come on, brother, you can pull this one off!" Thor encouraged and shook him slightly. "Mother will want to see you come home. She'll wake up and see us both," he added. Clio's heart sank at the mention of Frigga. The queen will want to see her boys when she wakes up.

But Loki remained silent. A genuine smile spread on his lips as he gazed at the both of them. "Thank you for b-believing in m-me again," he whispered as he slowly closed his eyes. And the moment he closed his eyes, every life in his body vanished as he took his last breath.

Thor screamed in grief as he clutched his brother's dead body.

"No," she muttered in disbelief then shook him awake. "No! No! No! Loki, don't!" a great tremor overtook her as she hugged his dead body.

"No, don't break your promise, now!" her body wracked with the onslaught of sob and tears as she tried to shake his body; trying to wake him up. But the more she shook his body, the more she realized the heavy weight that Loki was gone. Her love was gone. Her heart bled out to the man who a while ago just promised to stay by her side, to protect her with until his very last breath. How could he die just like that? Her mind raced through thousands of images of him alive.

The grief and sorrow she felt overwhelmed her body that she could feel the voice rejoicing inside her brain. She hated it. It was supposed to be sorrowful at what happened yet it was rejoicing as it feeds on her emotion. The more it feed, the more it grew stronger. She could feel the newfound energy swirling in her stomach as she cried for her loss. This was all Malekith's fault.

'It is! Kill him for what he did to your beloved!'

The air around them suddenly felt tight and even Thor slowly backed away from her. "Clio," he shouted from the uproar of energy and wind mixing together. "Don't let it take you!"

But all she could see was red and nothing more. Suddenly, the energy from her stomach burst outside of her, swirling around her and Loki's dead body. She only wants one thing: to avenge his death, to kill every dark elf and kill Malekith in the most painful way.

'Yes! Yes! That's it! Feel the pain, the sorrow, the hatred inside!'

"Clio," She heard Loki's voice softly that made her snapped back down. But his body never moved. He remained motionless and dead. Her eyes widened when the necklace he gave her started glowing. "Control it, my love. Don't let it consume you," she heard his voice again; this time she knew he was speaking inside her brain. She gasped in pain when the energy around her slowly dissipated. She could feel Loki's energy pushing it back and calming her own.

'What? No!' it cried when the energy around them died down. 'No! Take the necklace off! His power is pushing back our energy! This cannot be!'

Suddenly, everything was silent. The voices stopped. The wind relaxed around them. The energy that was surrounding them vanished in thin air. Everything was back to normal except for one. Loki was still dead.

She felt numbed as she stared at the corpse below her. Even in death, he could still save her. Was that why he gave her back the necklace? Did he know about the voice lingering inside her mind?

"Little one," Thor softly called out as he put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Clio?" Jane called out when she didn't respond.

"I'm fine," she answered numbly; not bothering to stray her eyes from the one that mattered to her.

"Let us go before the weather caught up with us," Thor urged them as he helped Jane stand up.

"Do you mean to leave him like this?" she asked coldly.

Thor was silent for a moment before he sighed. "No, but he would have want you to get out of here before you get hurt," he said pertaining to the impending danger ahead.

Her brows furrowed as she felt the tightening of her throat when she tried to hold back her tears. "I never even get to say how much I love him," she whispered as her chin trembled.

Jane held her hand and squeezed it gently. "He knew you felt that way even if you never told him, Clio," she comforted and hugged her friend.

"Let us go now," Thor insisted as he put a hand on her shoulder. "I am not the one controlling the weather in this planet."

Clio nodded in understanding. For the last time, she leaned down on Loki and grazed his lips with hers. Unlike before, his lips were cold already. She caressed his cold ashen face before she stood up slowly. With one last look, they moved forward.

* * *

A/N: I may have done something terrible. Anyways, Hiii to those who reviewed. You guys are awesome. So are my readers who kept on supporting this story!

Thank you so much for continuing to read this one and I can't help but feel overwhelmed by **WaywardandWanderlust** and **Mannidany** 's review on this story. Thank you so much! You guys are wonderful as well for thinking this story is wonderful!


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

 **One Last Fight**

The sand storm was strong and if it wasn't for Thor who was shielding them from the wind with his brute build and the swirling energy that was keeping her feet on the ground, she would have been blown away. It was impossible to see around when there were flying sands gathering around them.

"There!" Thor announced pointing his Mjolnir ahead. They looked up to see a cave ahead of them. "We could rest first at the cave while we let the storm pass."

The two women nodded and followed suit. Once they got inside, she slid down to the ground and sighed. She hugged her legs to her chest and burried her face in it. She was so exhausted and all she wanted to do was curl up on her bed and forget everything that had happened.

"We need to go back," she heard Jane said in a hushed voice. "He's going to unleash it," she added.

Clio looked up at them. Her face was void with any expression. She still felt great sorrow from her loss but she felt calmer. Loki's energy brought up a new energy inside her; something that could tame the loose sinister energy lurking inside.

"Not just on Asgard, Malekith is going to destroy everything," the brunette added.

"How did you know that?" Clio asked for the first time making Thor turn to her.

"When Malekith was extracting the Aether from me, I saw a glimpse of what he will do and he will start on Earth," Jane explained making Clio and Thor scowl at her.

"Buy why would he start on Earth?" Clio asked in confusion. She turned to Thor who was gaping in realization.

"The convergence," he muttered. He was talking about the alignment of the nine realms in one line to which the portals to each realm grew thin making it easier to travel.

"Oh god," exclaimed Jane.

"Loki," Clio's voice broke but then cleared her throat. "He explained to me about the convergence. If that happens, not only Asgard or Earth would be in great peril, so does the other realms."

"None of this would have happened if I haven't found the Aether," Jane muttered as she looked down at the ground. Clio stared at her friend but did not try to comment. It felt like yesterday when she went missing in London.

"Then Malekith would have possessed it that much sooner," Thor comforted and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"I only found it because I was looking for you," she continued.

Clio looked away from the two as she could feel her heart stinging. The storm outside was disastrous and she wondered if she stayed behind with Loki, could she have survived it? Would the sand storm bury his remains? They couldn't even give him a proper burial.

Her head snapped back when she heard music echoed through the cave. She jerked in surprise when she felt something vibrated in her pocket.

"What the hell?" Clio muttered as the three of them stared at each other in confusion.

"That's not me," Thor informed raising his hands to emphasize his point.

She and Jane quickly grabbed the only device they brought in Asgard and Svartelfheim and was currently in their pockets. When she fished out her phone, she saw million of texts flooding.

"Hello?" she heard Jane answered her phone.

"Hi, Jane, it's Richard," she heard the caller echoed through the cave. She raised an eyebrow at her friend who gave her a surprised look.

"Richard? Where are you?" Jane asked; her voice filled with confusion and glee.

Thor turned to Clio to give her a questioning look but the latter only shrugged hesitantly. Even she was in loss of what was happening at the moment. The last time she knew they were in a different planet so how come it has a reception?

"I'm still at the office," answered Richard making Thor raised a brow. Somehow, this became very awkward as she watched her friend talk to her caller while she surveyed the area without knowing what she was actually doing. To her surprise, Jane picked up a set of keys and jingled it in front of Clio.

"What's going on?" she mouthed to her friend to which her friend just shrugged but her brown eyes lit in excitement like it usually did whenever she discovered something new.

"Is this a bad timing?" she heard the caller said.

"No, no,no," Jane quickly said and motioned for them to come over. Hesitantly, they both complied. Her brows scrunched when she stepped on a can of soda. "Just stay on the line."

The caller must have picked up the wrong idea because he chuckled. "I won't go anywhere," he promised making Thor turn to Clio

"What the hell?" she muttered when she saw pair of shoes and even some hats on the ground.

"Where are we going?" Thor asked. "Why are there so many shoes around here?"

"Come on," Jane answered as she put back the phone in her pocket. They walked deeper to the cave and to her and Thor's amazement, the background changed.

Suddenly, they were back to where they were last seen on Earth. She glanced at Jane in confusion and the latter only grinned at them.

"Convergence, remember?" she explained. "The pathways are thinner. We were inspecting a portal inside the warehouse before Darcy called you."

"Oh," she could only utter. Jane led them to where her car was located. Its windows were broken and have writings on the side.

"Hop in, we need to get to my place," Jane instructed.

She sat at the backseat while Thor was on the passenger side. "I swear this is a crazy day," she commented and Jane nodded in agreement.

When they were sitting comfortably, Thor cleared his throat. "So, who's Richard?" he asked making the brunette stare at him incredulously.

"Really?" she asked sarcastically.

"Trust me, you wouldn't want to know," Clio answered as Jane drove off.

When they arrived, Jane barged inside making Darcy jump in surprise.

"Jane! Clio! You just can't leave like that!" she exclaimed as she hugged them one by one.

"Hey, Darcy," Clio greeted and gave her a small smile.

Jane went over to put her keys on the rack. "The whole world is going crazy. All the stuff that we found is spreading," she informed them. Darcy stopped and finally eyed what they were wearing. "Did you guys go to a party?"

"To Asgard," Clio supplied and the latter opened her mouth in realization.

"Eric?" Jane exclaimed making Clio turn around to see the surprised scientist who was so absorbed in his work that he did not noticed them.

"Dr. Selvig," she greeted.

"Jane! Clio! It's good to see you!" he got up from his seat and hugged them both.

"Where's your pants?" Jane asked.

"Ah, he said it helps him think," they both glanced at the intern, Ian, from the other side. She nodded at him in greetings to which he responded with a shy smile.

"Okay, I'm going to need everything you got from this," Jane began switching to business mode all of the sudden. "All the work you've been doing in gravimetric anomalies; everything."

Selvig nodded. "Okay," he answered and started ruffling his paper works.

"You need something to change with?" Jane asked Clio when she noticed they were still dressed in Asgardian clothing.

Clio turned to her dress and nodded in response. She followed her friend to her bedroom and closed the door. She offered her a black loose sweater, a grey camisole and a pair of skinny jeans. She muttered her thanks as she grabbed the clothes from her.

Jane sighed as she watched Clio walked inside the bathroom to change. She took off her dress and went over to the sink and stared at her reflection from the mirror. Her eyes were red and puffy from all those crying that she did. The grey in her eyes was never the same. Somehow, it dulled. Shaking her head, she opened the faucet to wash her face.

She put on the spare clothes Jane gave before fishing up her phone from her dress. She needed to contact Tony before things go rough.

The phone rang once before he answered. "Clio? Thank God!" she heard him answered from the other side.

"Hey, Dad," she greeted.

"Where the hell have you been?! Do you know how worried we were when we could not reach or find you?!" Tony roared on the phone.

"I was in Asgard. Everything happened so fast I didn't have time to call you," she explained. Her throat was constricting at the sound of her father's voice.

"I am very disappointed in you, Clio Isabella Stark. I thought we agreed that you won't do anything rash if anything happens?" he continued. Tears welled up her eyes. Despite his angry state, she was so glad to hear from him. She wanted so badly to cuddle besides him and tell him everything what happened to her just like when she was just a child then. She wanted to hear the comforting words her father would tell her just to make her feel better because the what she was feeling was so painful that she felt so numb.

She couldn't help the sob that escaped making Tony stop abruptly from his ranting. "Sugarplum, what's wrong?" he asked, his voice turning soft. She could already picture him running his fingers on his messy hair as he think of a way to calm her down; that usually the case whenever she was upset. "You know it's normal for me to get angry, right? I mean, I was terrified something happened to you. It's normal for a father to worry for his daughter who ran off, Sugarplum."

Then she let out the sob that was trapped inside her chest. It was almost funny that her father thought she was crying because he was mad at her and that made her cry more. "I-I'm sorry, Daddy," she croaked as tears started to slide down her cheeks. "I'm sorry," she continued as she sobbed.

"Sugarplum," Tony called out worriedly knowing it wasn't about his anger that she was crying for but something deeper. "I'll come get you, okay? Are you back in London now?"

"Yes," she answered as she wiped her cheek. She knew if he said he'll come get her within the consecutive two hours, he'll already be here. But she needed to keep him away from here. Jane has a plan to stop Malekith and having Tony here would probably mess it up.

"But you don't have to get me. I just want you to know that I'm safe and I'm back. I'll be coming back home after I finish things up here," she added quickly.

Tony was silent for a while as she waited for his answer. "I can't change your mind, can I?" he asked after some time to which she shook her head. As if he could see her shake her head; he sighed. "Take the private jet on your way home, okay? It'll be faster."

"I will. Thanks, Dad," she replied.

"Love you, Sugarplum," he said. "With all my shrapnel-free heart, you know that right?"

Her chin trembled and she heaved a deep breath to calm herself down. "Love you more, Dad," she croaked.

"Now, don't cry, Sugarplum, and be safe," he added before the lines went off. She put the phone at her back pocket and composed herself. When she opened the door, Jane was staring at her worriedly. She knew she heard everything.

"Are you okay?" she asked and Clio nodded.

"Yeah," she replied and gave her a small smile.

But Jane knew better. They've known each other for only a year but if there was someone whom she callsher best friend, it would be her. "I'm fine," she reassured her.

Jane went over to her and enveloped her into a hug to which she complied. "I know you're not but I won't push. If you need someone to talk with, I'm here, Clio," she comforted and Clio nodded on her shoulder.

When they parted, she gave her a genuine smile. "I'll be fine," she said again. With one last pat on her arm, Clio walked out of the bedroom.

Darcy was making coffee for everyone while Eric was back on his desktop and was busy doing research. Ian, the intern, was with him and they were exchanging ideas. Her eyes wandered around the room in search for the god of thunder but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Thor?" she asked them.

"Uh,Dr. Stark," Ian stuttered to which she turned to him. A tint of blush was on his face when she raised an eyebrow at him. "He went out of the balcony a while ago," he informed.

Her eyes glanced towards the balcony door to see the god of thunder looking up at the sky.

"Thanks," she muttered with a nod to which the intern smiled in return. She walked over the door and leaned against the frame. His face was solemn as he gazed at the stars. Whether he sensed her presence or not, he did not show but she knew he did.

"I couldn't even give him a proper burial," he said without turning back at her; his voice filled with sorrow for his lost brother. "I'm sorry. If I was just strong enough to defeat it, Loki would not have died that way."

Clio gave a shaky breath as she looked at the stars too. The stars were bright and beautiful right now as if there won't be a pending doom that waits; calm before the , she felt guilty. She was so focused in her pain that she forgotten that Thor lost his brother also and that put an ache in her heart.

"It was his choice to put his life on the line for you," she said softly and walked over to stand next to the god. "To prove to you that he changed."

"I should have told him that he need not do that for I believed that he did change… in here," he said as he pointed on his chest where his heart is located.

Clio clenched her fist tight as she glared up at the sky. "I don't know whether or not I should be angry with him," she said. "What kind of a man broke his promise minutes after… promising so?" the last part was barely audible but Thor, thankfully was blessed with great hearing, heard it.

"I think he is a man who fulfilled his promise," he counteract with a small smile. "With his last breath, he saved not only me, but also you."

"That doesn't even make sense. Malekith is still alive," she grumbled.

Thor gave out a low chuckle. "Indeed, he is. But he did not plan to die along or leave you, Clio," he defended.

"I know," she muttered and gave him a glance. "I wish this is all just a bad dream. That, the next morning, I would wake up and could still see his annoying face."

"Me too," he said softly as they both gazed at the stars. "Clio, I know this is too much to ask but I need you to lend me your strength."

The dark-haired maiden glanced at him in surprise. "What?"

"I know that this is very dangerous and I tend to risk having Loki rise from his grave to kill me if something were to happen to you but I cannot do this alone," he explained. "We need to defeat Malekith. If we work together then we can do so."

Clio opened her mouth; her face scrunched with worry and confusion. "But how? I'm not strong enough. I'll just get in your way. And if you're talking about the Xhylorian inside me, I can barely hold it off."

"I believe that Loki imparted his magic to you before he died," Thor began making Clio's eyes widened a fraction in surprise. She thought about it ever since feeling a foreign energy inside her. She never gave much thought to it since it was very calming.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"That powerful burst of energy a while back would have been too hard to expel if not for my brother's magic. He imparted that to you to protect you," he explained. Clio knew that. She could still feel his energy inside her and she didn't know whether to be happy about it or not.

"So, you think we can stop Malekith?" she asked and Thor nodded. She was silent for a moment as she glanced at her hands trying to contemplate about his proposed situation.

' _You should help him,'_ the voice whispered inside. She was not expecting to speak that's why she flinched slightly when it spoke. _'We need justice for what he did.'_

Justice? Was it talking to what Malekith did to them? She felt a sense of pity to the extinguished Xhylorian. They only wanted to have a peaceful life away from any wars but in the end, they paid for it dearly with their lives. Somehow, that made her feel obligated to avenge them.

"I know it's too much to ask bu –"

"I'll help," she cut him off making the latter glanced at her in surprise. "I have to settle something with Malekith, anyway."

"What do you mean?" he asked; his face scrunched in confusion.

"When I was sleeping on the boat, I have a vision of the past; a memory that belonged to the Xhylorians. They were betrayed by him."

"How?"

"Malekith knew Bor was getting suspicious of the dark elves for the dark events that were happening around the universe. That's why he planned to put all the blame an all the Xhyloriansand manipulated your grandfather to think they were the ones behind all the events. That's why Bor destroyed them first."

She could see Thor absorbed everything she revealed. "That bastard," he muttered angrily then glanced back at her as realization dawned in him. "You mean to avenge them," he stated.

Clio never thought about it at all and it came as a surprise to her. "I have to," she said.

"Then, we shall defeat Malekith together, my lady," Thor promised and bowed his head in respect of her teaming up with him.

"I never told anyone about it but the Xhylorian inside me can communicate with me," she confessed making Thor's brows rise up in surprise. "They annoy me to hell but at the same time they give me the information that I needed," she added.

"I also have a confession to make, my lady," Thor began and gave her a guilty glance. "I do not want to keep this from you anymore. Loki was against of telling you this to not make you worry but as you have said, you have the right to know."

"W-What is it?" she asked her face was bordered with worry and anxiety.

"Loki and I have this theory. He had been researching about the Xhylorians ever since. You already know that another way for one Xhylorian to live is to transfer its DNA on another Xhylorian or to a different species throughout the universe. This was also one of their defenses in battle because normal specie like humans can easily be killed by this method," he said. The grim expression on his face made her nervous.

"So, you mean I still get to die?" she asked as her mind still processing what he was revealing to her. "Maybe I'm still alive because of the antidote I took but in the end I would still have to die, right?"

"Normally, that would have been the case," he said with a sighed. He grabbed her shoulder and squeezed it gently.

"B-But you saw the reports Healer Hilda made," she stuttered as she shake her head trying to rack her brain with all the possibilities and theories they have come up while in Asgard. "My immunity tripled its power. Somehow, it is like the super soldier serum that Steve Rogers took. I-I never got the chance to discuss this with Dr. Banner but I already have this theory about it and I –"

"Loki found out that there are only four known specie in the galaxy that can accommodate the Xhylorian invasion in the body. Asgardians, Celestials, Eternals and Xhylorians – they are also known as the gods of the universe."

"Gods of the universe?" she muttered with her eyes widened. "You mean… I'm only alive because…" her mind wandered off to the time Malekith called her a Xhylorian. Was it because she really was a Xhylorian?

"That is only a theory. We are not yet sure about it. As you have said, you took an antidote," Thor reassured her but her mind was elsewhere. "But we were never truly convinced with it especially since you are adopted and the man of iron knew nothing of where you came from."

"H-He first saw me near the grave of his parents," she muttered; she could feel her hands shaking. "I-I was just an infant then."

"One thing that made my brother very curious of you was because of the color of your eyes," he continued. "It is a different shade of grey, not normal for a human and your intellect is very supreme."

Then she remembered the time they were on the cliff. Loki asked her once if she was really a human because of her eye color. She did not give any thoughts about it but Loki did.

"When I was fighting off Malekith, he called me a Xhylorian," confessed Clio making Thor glanced at her in surprise. "At first I thought he was pertaining to the Xhylorian inside me but the voice kept telling me over and over that it was not its power that I'm using. It's mine. And when I had the vision of the past, I saw their eyes. They were like mine also."

Thor was silent for a moment and was considering her confession. "Is that why you have the need to avenge the others?"

Clio shook her head in confusion. "I-I don't know. Maybe? I guess? This is so confusing," she muttered. "If Loki was here..." she trailed off then stopped.

"He would have another theory," Thor supplied giving her a sad smile at the mention of his late brother.

Clio nodded sadly. A pang of pain hit her chest. How she missed Loki's warmth in this kind of moment. "I don't know what to think anymore, Thor," she muttered biting her lower lip. "I only wanted to be normal. How can I be put up into this?"

"It was bound to happen. You will find out eventually," Thor told her making her look up at him. "If you're really a Xhylorian, the organism that was injected to you just sped up the process of you finding it out."

"I never wanted to have a life like this, Thor," she added. Her eyes sprung with tears. "I never wanted to feel like an abomination. I wanted to be human."

The God of Thunder pulled her to his chest and hushed. "You are not an abomination. If Loki will hear you now, he'd be disappointed at what you are saying to yourself."

"B-But he's not here... anymore," she whispered the last part as she balled her fist. "This was all Malekith's fault," she growled through her tears.

"And he shall pay dearly with his life," Thor supplied and pushed her gently from him. "We will take him down and we will get what we wanted: vengeance."

Clio stared at him before wiping her tears. When Thor stared back at her eyes, he was slightly surprised at the calm fury raging in the depths of her grey shades. He feared that any moment she would snap and kill everybody. Maybe she will. Maybe she won't. But the only thing that mattered to them both was to avenge the person they loved.

 **Author's Note:**

Hey guys! I'm back! I finally finished my board examination yesterday and hopefully the result will come out next tuesday. I hope I passed *fingers crossed*

Anyways, I decided to update this story since I have nothinh much to do now and hopefully I can update every Friday of the week. So stay tuned for more updates!

Oh and by the way, I wanted to thank all those who reviewed and read the last chapter. Especially to the one who stayed up all night just to read it! I hope you woke up early after that. Thank you thank you!!

I hope this next chapter will come to your likings. I'll update the next one probably on sunday or monday so stay tuned!


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

 **The Last Battle**

When the sun peaked through the horizon, Jane and the others decided to take the scientist's beaten car to drive to Greenwich. She theorized that Malekith planned to use the Aether to the spot where all the nine worlds were connected to which Selvig pointed out the locations of the previous convergence that led them to believe that it would be in Greenwich.

The brunette scientist was just 85% sure of her plan but it was better than not to have a plan at all. It was actually crazy that even Selvig have doubts that it would work. Her friend planned to make her own portal to use it as leverage in battle.

Clio and Thor will keep Malekith busy from using the Aether and thus making more time for Jane to activate the device.

She was actually not prepared for this but she asked Tony if he could send any weapon that she could use. Usually, she was good with a gun but a simple gun will not be enough to kill the dark elves. To her delight, a package sent by the automated quinjet arrived just before they go to Greenwich. Her eyebrow rose when she pulled out a brown leather jacket; it was surprisingly heavy for a jacket. It has the logo of 'Stark' on the right side of it. There was also silver chest and back armor next to it that looked like a corset. There was a note lying on top of it that says: _Suit up._ She sighed exasperatedly. Nonetheless, she decided to wear it.

"Don't tell me your dad actually sent you a wardrobe for fighting?" Jane asked when she walked in her room and spotted Clio eyeing the garment that she was wearing. A thought occurred to her that maybe the jacket was bulletproof making it heavier than usual.

She sighed in defeat. "I actually found a note on it that threatens me to wear it or else," she explained passing on the note to her friend making Jane chuckle. She wondered how he managed to upgrade this jacket and how long did it take him to finish this when she just told him about it like 7 hours ago.

"Why didn't your father decided to be a fashion designer?"

"Ugh, don't get me started about my father's fashion hobby," she complained as she rolled her eyes.

"Well, rather than charging on the battle just wearing black tees, I think that would be safer," Jane reassured as Clio tied her hair up her head.

"I charged to Svartelfheim wearing only a dress," she pointed out making Jane roll her eyes. There was a honk of the car outside the house indicating that they were ready to leave. "You better go now and plant your device. The last time I checked Malekith, he'll be here in an hour or less."

"Okay," Jane sighed and hugged her. "I hope this will work!"

"It will," she reassured her before Jane walked out of the bedroom.

After putting on an ankle combat boot that Jane lend her, she rummaged further in the box and to her surprise, a small box the size of a ring box was sitting on the bottom. There was a message on the bottom of it and it reads: _Put the black chip on your right palm. It will bite but do not take it off. Hope it helps. Love, Dad._

' _That was not reassuring,'_ she thought.

' _Why do you need weapons when you can use mine?'_ the voice slithered making her sigh in exasperation. _'If only you could take out your necklace.'_

She opened the box to see a small chipdevice on the center. She eyed it suspiciously. What on Earth did her father invent this time? Shrugging her shoulder, she planted it on her right palm. She yelped when it punctured into her skin and planted itself safely on her palm. Wiping the little trickle of blood on her hand, her eyes widened when the device expanded and coated her hand and forearm. A black and silver metal device formed that looked like a gauntlet. A chuckle escaped her throat when she recognized it as one of Iron Man's beam blast. It was actually lightweight as if she was only wearing her lab glove. She made a mental note to thank Tony for this when she get home.

"Are you ready?" Thor asked behind her and she stood up slowly. He was leaning on the doorframe as he observed the gauntlet on her right hand. "I'm glad your father thought of giving you something to fight with."

"Yeah, I didn't even tell him I was fighting but you get the idea," she shrugged and Thor nodded in agreement. "Let's do this," she said as they both walked out of the house.

Thor grabbed her by the waist as his hammer flew them off to where Greenwich was located. She felt a sudden chill on the back of her neck and she gasped as a vision played right in front of her. The dark elves' ship already landed in the middle of park. People were running for safety.

"He's here!" she exclaimed. "We need to hurry."

Thor nodded as he rushed off. They were running out of time. She hoped Jane already set up everything she needed.

When they arrived, the ship stood tall around the place. Malekith walked out of his ship with an army of dark elves behind him; he gleefully gazed at the portal above where the convergence was taking place that he did not noticed them. They landed meters away with a loud crack on the ground making Malekith glanced in surprise before a sickening grin appeared on his face.

"You need not come, Asgardian for death would have come to you soon enough," he said as he walked towards them; his army followed closely behind.

"Not by your hands," Thor counteract.

Malekith smirked at the comment and landed his eyes on her. "I could still spare you, girl. I can be merciful. Together we can conquer the universe!" he persuaded.

"Tempting but I prefer to die fighting than watch the world in genocide," she gritted making the dark elf grunt in disappointment.

"So be it," he growled as he slowly raised his hand next to him. Thor readied his hammer as she with her gloved hand. "Your universe was never meant to be. Your family, your world will be extinguished!" a black and red smoke surrounded him and her eyes widened when he directed it to them.

Clio raised her hands to summon a shield to protect herself from much damage as she was flown a meter away from the impact. She noticed Thor was also thrown back by yhe force.

She stood up and aimed the beam blast at Malekith hoping it would make an impact but he stopped it with his hand and forced it back at her throwing her back to Thor who caught her in surprise. The impact sent them both flying and knocked them on the ground.

Sharp pain sprung up on her side and she could taste blood in her mouth as Thor helped her stand.

"Fuck," she muttered then spit the blood from her mouth. Wiping her lips, she glanced at Thor who was looking at her worriedly. "He's stronger than before but I'm fine," she said and waved him off.

"We need to distract him," he muttered softly to her. "If we could only stop him from using the Aether for 8 minutes then that would give Jane enough time."

"8 minutes?" she gritted as she glared at the dark elf in front of them. "I think I can manage." She could feel the warm energy on her left hand as she focused her energy to it.

Thor nodded "Try not to overdo it, Clio," he muttered before glancing back at Malekith. "You know with that power, I thought you'd hit harder," provoked Thor.

Malekith smirked at his remark before he aimed and sent another wave of the Aether to them.

"Clio, now!" he shouted.

Clio ducked and rolled over and aimed the warm sensation she felt to him making a kinetic blast delivering a great shock waves of pure force from her energy. At the same time, Thor threw his hammer and crashed to the aether's power and into Malekith. The blast and the hammer sent the dark elf flying away from them and crashing to every wall and car on the way.

"I got him!" Thor screamed as he stormed off to where Malekith landed.

"I'll handle it here then," she called back as she ran towards the shell-shocked dark elves on guard.

There were many of them and she doubt she could take them all down. Using her gloved hand, she blasted the two who were near her before sending a punch on the next one who began approaching her. She turned around and ducked just in time for the sword to swing by the top of her head. She kicked the dark elf on its chest before sending off another force field and threw it off.

She was already getting a hang of her new found power and the power Loki gave her. It was easier to control her energy and thus making it easier to use it without getting worked up by the voice. But at the same time, she could feel herself getting weary of the enormous amount of energy depleting from her.

But just as she was about to turn around, a blast hit her on the back.

A yelp escaped her lips as she was sent off sprawled to the ground making her hit her head on the pavement. Despite the pain, she couldn't help but grin. That blast would have put a hole in her back. But thanks to Tony's jacket, she was still in one piece.

"I really love my dad," she muttered to no one in particular. With hardship from the pain on her head, she rolled on her back before a blast hit her again. She ducked before she activated her glove and blasted the dark elf off.

"Shit," she muttered as she stood up slowly. There were at least six dark elves around her. _'I'm low on energy, I could really use some help here.'_ She thought trying to get the voice to speak up.

Seconds passed by but there was only silence in her head and she grunted in annoyance. Now that she needed the voice, it won't speak?

"Screw it!" she gritted as she charged forward, ducking when a dark elf tried to punch her on the head. She grabbed its arm and broke it before she gave it a roundhouse kick on the head. One by one, she singlehandedly beat all of them. She made another mental note that if ever she survived this apocalypse, she'll continue her training with Natasha.

Her brows furrowed when some of the dark elves started disappearing out of nowhere. She glanced up to the tower and saw Jane waving at her with that big dorky grin on her face. She was holding up a device that looked like a videogame controller. Clio guessed she was responsible for the disappearance of some dark elf.

Clio shook her head with a grin on her face as she waved back. She flinched slightly when she heard a loud crash from a distance and Darcy screaming. She rushed towards where the sound was.

"Clio!" Darcy screamed as they were being chased by dozens of dark elves. She ran towards the car, jumping on its hood and using it as a leverage to kick one of the approaching elves. She used the beam blast on her palm and shoots the other upcoming elves.

"How many more minutes till the convergence finish?" she asked Darcy as they gasped for air.

"Three more minutes," her friend answered. She pointed to the right corner. "Thor's getting his ass beaten!"

"Go back to Jane, Darcy!" she ordered before rushing off towards where the battle was taking place. She was having trouble breathing as she could feel her energy slowly depleting. She already used up most of her energy summoning shields and that kinetic blast.

Once she arrived, she found Malekith; his back facing her. A sense of dread washed over her system when she could not spot Thor. Did he lose? Biting her lower lips, she shook her head and silently walked over to the unsuspecting elf.

She'll just have to make him busy until the convergence was finished. Hoping for the best, she prayed for Jane's plan to work. If it did not, at least she'll die fighting. 'And maybe, I could get to see Loki too,' she thought solemnly. She paused at the thought. How did she become something like this from being a mere scientist? Her heart stung. A tear escaped from her left eye. It all began to change after she met Loki. He could have been here too if he didn't die.

Clenching her fist, she glared at the dark elf. 'It was his fault,' she thought angrily. She quickened her pace and when he finally heard her he turned around just in time for her to deliver a punch on his face. Before he could react, she continuously delivered blow to blow on his face. That's what she learned from Rhodey; take advantage of short time of vulnerability and never let it recover from its shock.

"Enough!" he yelled and with enormous surge of power, he sent it towards her making her eyes widened. She could not summon any more shields to protect her this time. With one last thought, she clenched her gloved hand and used the beam blast and tried to counteract it. But the Aether was so powerful that she could feel the glove heating up. The power surge hit her hard making her almost lose her consciousness as she was thrown back to the ground.

Her head hit the pavement harder than the previous one making her whimper. There was a ringing sound in her ears; she could feel it wet and guessed it was blood. Her visions were getting blurry and she could see small dark spots on her vision.

She heard footsteps closing in on her and she knew it was Malekith. The ringing in her ears continued as she tried to sit up but the pain on her head and arm only intensified.

She tried to move her head a bit to her gloved hand and, to her horror, found it severely damaged. It was smoking and she knew if she did not take it off, it will explode. Using her other hand, she tried to pry it off her.

"You think you could defeat me?" she heard Malekith mocked through the ringing of her ears. She continued to try to pry the glove off her hand as the dark elf watched her in amusement.

"Screw you," she muttered and with a final force, managed to take it off her and threw it at the elf just in time for it to explode. The explosion caused, again, pain in her ears and she whimpered as she clutched her burnt hand on her chest.

Malekith, having no damage at the sudden explosion of the device, clicked his tongue before he grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up. "I told you I could have give you mercy but you decided to throw it away," he spat at her as he brought up his other hand to slap her on the cheek so hard that she fell out of his grasp.

The slap impacted her head so hard that she could see everything in double. Before she could react further, he kicked her on the stomach making her lie on her back. Coughing up blood, she wondered why she was not healing quickly like before.

"Watch as I fulfill my dreams!" he ordered. Black and red smoke surrounded them as Malekith raised his hands up in the air.

"S-Stop," she croaked.

"There is no stopping this, child. If only you took my offer then I should have spared you," he said as the smoke rise up to where the portals are. "Why resist this? You have a Xhylorian in your system. Is this not what the Xhylorian and the Dark Elves made alliance for?"

"Y-You betrayed them," she gritted as she tried to sit up but the pain was unbearable. "I-I saw a v-vision, you betrayed them," she spat as she felt tears welling up her eyes for how useless she felt right now.

"I only did that for the fulfillment of our dream. My friends would understand that," he added sweetly.

"They w-were never y-your friends!" she gnashed her teeth. A surged of anger washed over her at the mention of the Xhylorians. She remembered her visions very well; thousands of bodies lay on the ground bathing with their own blood and he still called them his friends? "You're the reason why they're gone!"

"Well, there is no point of being stuck in the past now, my dear," he said as the smoke swirled around them rapidly.

She gasped for air as she stopped struggling to get up. It was no use. They were too late. This will be the end of all of them. A tear escaped her eye. If only she could see Tony for the last time; she suddenly wished she never left home. If she never did, would Loki still be alive? Well, that did not matter anymore. She would soon join him.

Gingerly, she closed her eyes and waited.

' _Don't be an idiot!'_ mocked the voice making her flinched slightly. _'You are not going to die! If you die, you'll never get to avenge us!'_

'Now, you speak?' she sarcastically chided. But she never heard it answered back. Could it be that it was quiet so she could save up the energy to defeat Malekith? She suddenly wished she could have asked it about its past life. Maybe then she could understand it clearly.

Suddenly everything was quiet. The air around her became relaxed and she could not feel anymore the swirling energy around her. She opened her eyes only to gasp as she was greeted not with Malekith but in the garden of Asgard filled with Elvenmist. The last time she was here was when she asked Loki to take her to see the flowers. It was their last peaceful moment together before it started.

"Am I dead?" she asked herself as she touched the flower's petals.

"No."

She turned around with widened eyes and was greeted with the familiar green hues. A sob escaped her lips as she sprung over to Loki who caught her in his arm.

"Loki," she sobbed as she buried her face on his chest.

"I'm here," he whispered over her head as he pulled her closer to him.

"You're not dead?" she asked him as tears flowed down her cheeks. She searched his eyes for answer.

He sighed sadly and pushed her slightly away from him so he could clearly look into her. She watched him as he wiped the tears on her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," he muttered and Clio shook her head as another wave of sob escaped her lips. "I am only a figment of your imagination, Clio."

"This is not true, Loki. You promised me you'll stay," she argued through her sobs.

Loki watched her with a solemn expression. "My love, I did not die for you to die also. I have sacrificed myself for you and for Thor to live," he explained as he caressed her cheek. "Do not give up, Clio. There is so much more in life for you to give up."

"I couldn't without you, Loki," she whispered.

"You can and you will," he answered back. He grabbed her face and pulled her to him. He placed his lips on hers gently to stop her from sobbing. A warm sensation burst from her lips and in to her body before he pulled away. "I have given you my last remaining energy and I need you to use it wisely."

"But Thor lost. How can I defeat Malekith alone?" she asked as she watched Loki.

"Thor's not dead, Clio. He will need your help in this battle," he whispered and as he continued to caress her cheek, she could feel her pendant getting warmer and warmer on her skin. A tingling sensation slowly spread around her body.

There was a faint buzzing at the background and Loki gave her a smile. "This is good bye, my love."

"Don't go yet," she quickly said and grabbed his hand but when she touched it, it faded like a mist. He was still there but not in his solid form anymore. Slowly, he faded away leaving her again.

When she opened her eyes, everything was back to normal. She saw Malekith staring up at the portals as he dragged the red substances up. Loki was right. She couldn't just let his sacrifice go in vain. If there was one thing left to do, that is to fight for the safety og everyone.

She tried to move her burnt hand up and noticed it back to normal. It must have been healed while she was at her state of delirium.

She quietly sat up and checked all of her part to see everything was working; even her ears stopped with the ringing sound. She could also feel a new sense of energy in her system indicating that it wasn't just a dream that she saw Loki and gave her his last remaining energy.

A pang of pain crawled in her chest at the thought of him. But he was right. She needed to defeat Malekith. Without further ado, she prowled her way to the unsuspecting elf. She focused her energy on her hand creating a big ball of kinetic energy. She could hear the voice cheering at her as she put all the pain from Loki's death and the grief of what happened to the Xhylorian race on the ball of energy; she poured all the remaining energies that was within her.

"I will not become a history today," she growled making Malekith slightly lose his focus. Before he could turn to her, she released the ball of energy at him.

Malekith screamed in pain as he tried to counteract the energy with the Aether, but he was seconds late. The ball of energy destroyed a large part of his right torso and arm.

"Clio!" someone called out. She turned around and to her relief found Thor clutching one of Jane's devices. "Duck!" he ordered before he threw it with all his force. She did as she told just in time for the device to fly past her head. She turned around and watched as the dark elf caught it with his left hand and sneered at the two of them.

"You could have succeeded in killing me, Xhylorian, had you have a good aim," he said making Clio growl.

"Don't worry," Thor jeered as he stopped next to her and helped her on her feet. "We actually hit the right target."

"What?"

The device beeped rapidly and before they know it, a portal opened and closed cutting Malekith's left arm off. The dark elf's face was stricken with horror as he stared at the two of them.

Thor then threw another device on the damaged part of Malekith. Like the first one, it opened a portal then closed cutting a part of him off.

"Stop this!" he groaned in pain and anger. "The Aether cannot be destroyed!

"But you can," the god of thunder said; he turned to her and grasped her shoulder. Clio's eyes widened when Thor gave her the last device. "Aim well," he added and winked at her.

She glanced back at the device on her hand then back at Thor who was summoning his hammer. She turned back to Malekith who was eyeing them with frightened eyes. A wave determination washed over her body as she watched the dark elf with her piercing eyes.

"Turns out," she began as she pulled back her hand and readied her stance. "I didn't need any of your mercy, after all."

With all her might, she threw the device aiming at Malekith's chest. At the same time, Thor ran forward and hammered the device deeper into the dark elf's chest making him fly over to his ship. The red substances disappeared quickly. Seconds later after hitting his ship, a portal opened sucking him into it and closing after.

She watched as the convergence finally disappeared. Was it over?

' _Yes,'_ the voice answered. _'Thank you for avenging your people,'_ it added.

'My people?' she asked confusedly but nonetheless a grin appeared on her face as she fell forward face-first on the ground.

' _We'll talk about your heritage soon. But now, rest.'_

"H-Heritage?" she muttered but darkness was already clouding up her vision. She could hear Jane screaming at a distance. Whether she was in danger or not, she could not tell. Her body was weary and tired and she could not summon anymore energy to even just lift her body. She wondered if she could see Loki again.

 **~0~**

He watched from his spot as the ship that suddenly appeared from nowhere fell from the screaming elf. The scientist, who was Thor's lover, must have invented the device to open portals to portals. Soon as the ship landed, the scream dissipated.

Finally, the universe was safe for now. But he knew there was a pending doom waiting for it. This was only just the beginning and he needed to move fast. Standing up, he paused to watch a decoy of himself lying on the ground; a grave expression written on its lifeless face.

A raven cowed from a distant and he offered his arm for it to land.

"Tell Odin that the plan started," he ordered. The raven cowed once before it started flying away. A portal opened for it to enter before it closed again.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Hey everybody! I just want to say that I passed my board exam!!! Yaaay!! I can update this story frequently now that I really don't have anything to do. Anyways, you guys are so awesome for always checking this story and I love you a bunch especially to those who reviewed who are by far very happy to see me back.**

 **Oh and by the way, I have a story that I've been writing on about Zombie Apocalypse and it's now published on Wattpad. It's called "Freak Contamination". If any of you who are interested in zombie apocalypse and stuff please try to read it and vote for it. That would be really awesome!! Thank you again guys!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

 **Distractions**

The first thing she heard when she submerged from the sea of darkness was the beeping sound that resembled the same sound she usually hear from hospitals. The sound only contributed to the unending pounding of her head which she was still a bit confused as to why. Her memory was a little bit fuzzy but she knew that after their battle, she lost consciousness. Did she hit her head on the pavement? Did a dark elf survived and managed to smash her head? If that was the case, did blood splatter everywhere? Did her skull cracked and pieces of the said bone lay on the ground?

 _You think morbid thoughts that it actually put mine to shame._

'God, you're still here?' she thought bemused with a hint of disappointment.

The voice laughed scandalously in her head that made her head pound again as she felt the vibration. _You can't get rid of me that easily. I told you, we are one._

'Oh please. That came out very wrong.' She sighed internally. 'Where are we anyway? And why do I feel so weak?'

 _They put something inside your body that rendered you useless for the time being._

'You mean anesthetic?'

 _...Yes._

'How long was I out?'

 _Give or take five days. I don't know. I was out too._

'It feels like I'm having a split personality disorder.'

 _You're not._

She sighed inwardly and didn't respond since she was starting to get irritated at it. Slowly, she tried to open her eyes but found it very heavy. That annoyed her. She made a mental note never to put any anesthetic inside her system ever again.

"Even I am amaze by her fast recovery," She was startled by an unfamiliar hushed voice through the background. "What's happening to the world nowadays anyway? It's already crazy as it is with all the aliens and stuff."

"Will you stop that? We shouldn't be talking about our patient! It's against our ethics!" another voice scolded disproving at her companion. 'YES, IT IS! AND I LITERALLY CAN HEAR YOU!' She wanted to scream but her throat felt dry.

"She's still out cold, you know. We've given her the strongest anesthetic so she's probably out cold for a couple of hours."

At the mention of that she groaned startling the two nurses. That must have been why she was feeling weak and numb. Usually, the anesthetic would have been out of her system in a fast rate.

"What?" the first voice muttered unbelievably. "That's the strongest anesthetic we have!"

The voice inside her head chuckled. _Humans._ It muttered as if the very thought of it was an amusement. _They think their substance can keep us at bay._

'They just did,' she pointed out.

"Oh, we should tell Mr. Stark right away!"

'Yes! Please!' She wanted to say as she heard their quick shuffle to the door. The only thing that mattered to her right now was to be with Tony. She wanted to scream and to open her eyes to see her father. She thought she would never see him again. She was scared. Terrified, even, at the thought of it. She could almost see his crestfallen face at the news of her at the hospital. She felt wetness in her closed eyes at the sound of the shuffling of the door and the familiar scent of her father's perfume.

"Sugarplum," the familiar voice of her father made her turned her head to where his voice was located.

She opened her dry mouth to speak, "Daddy," she whispered weakly.

A chorus sigh of relief was heard in the background. This time, when she opened her eyes the heaviness of her eyelids were gone, thankfully. She her head over to the others who were also present inside the room. Pepper was at her other side while Bruce and Natasha were just at the foot of her bed. Tony was hovering above her hospital bed with the same relief on his face.

She lifted her hand to wave at her friends weakly. Pepper, with her worry stricken face and thick bags under her eyes, burst into tears. "You made us all worry," she croaked as she caressed her cheek.

Guilt rushed up to her system. She didn't know what to say to Pepper who basically became her mother-figure growing up. She was always there for her whether Tony was there or not. And just seeing her shed tears for her made her feel extremely loved despite the guilt. "I'm sorry," she croaked; her eyes brimming with tears. "I'm sorry," she repeated gazing at everyone in the room as the tears run freely down her cheeks.

"As long as you're okay," Tony answered as he brushed up her hair. When she gazed at her father, she found him not anywhere better just like Pepper. Usually, he always maintain a neat stubble in his face but seeing him now, she wondered how many days it had been since his last shave. The bags under his eyes were never better too though he always have it since he always worked late at night.

Clio nodded her head and Tony kissed her forehead. His lips lingered there for a moment as if he still can't believed that she was alright that any moment she might disappear in front of them again. Pepper gingerly grabbed her hand and stroked it.

"Please don't do that to us again, Clio," she begged; tears brimming in her eyes. That put a heavy weight on Clio's chest. She knew her recklessness could cause this much damage to her family.

She clutched Pepper's hand and glanced at Tony who was staring at her with worry in his eyes. "Dad... Pepper," she repeated with determination straining her voice. "I won't do it again, I promise."

Somehow, the look Tony gave her was wary. Did he not trust her? She couldn't blame him but that did the trick on Pepper for she calmed down and nodded her head.

"You're a tough lady," Bruce complimented as he walked over to the monitor to check her vitals. She had forgotten they were there too and he was also wearing doctor's suit which means he was in charge of her. He smiled and wrote something down his note. Natasha walked next to him and gave her a small smile. "When Thor brought you here you were battered severely but just after three days you're already fully recovered."

Tony helped her sit up and lean on the headboard. "You were out for almost a week," he said solemnly.

Slowly, she nodded her head and gave him an apologetic glance. "How are Jane and the others?" she asked. "Did… did we won?"

"Yeah, you did," Tony answered and brushed again her hair. His eyes restoring a bit of the mirth she usually see in her father's eyes. "Hope you don't mind being grounded for a year," he joked earning a light chuckle from her and a roll in the eyes from Pepper.

"That would be fine," she answered and punched him lightly on the shoulder. "No victory party?"

"Once you get out of here I'll be hosting one," he promised and grinned widely. "It will be grand!"

"Tony," Pepper called with warning notes. "She should be resting."

She glanced at Pepper and grinned - the same grin she loved seeing on Tony's face. "Just a few people; a gathering perhaps," Pepper consented with a sigh which earned a few laughs from the people inside the room. "Are you hungry? Should I get you something to eat?"

Clio was about to decline but the room suddenly was interrupted by the rumbling of her stomach. A blush tinted her cheeks when her father gave him a smirk. "Your stomach never lie, Sugarplum."

"Okay, I'll go ask Happy to get us something to eat," Pepper volunteered as she stood up. She gave Clio another kiss on the forehead and smiled. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Me too," she muttered and watched as the blonde walked out of the room. She turned back to the rest and with inquiring look she asked, "How are the others? Jane? Thor?"

The three of them shared a look before Natasha walked up next to her. "Jane Foster stayed in London to deal with the other portals opened. Thor, on the other hand, went back to Asgard," she explained carefully.

Clio's eyebrow rose in surprise at the mention of the place. "Did something happen to Asgard?" she asked worriedly.

Natasha shook her head. "His mother finally woke up from coma and came to visit him here," at the mention of Frigga, Clio sighed in relief.

"The queen went to visit you while you were out," Bruce added as he settled next to the red-haired agent. He produced a small vial from his side pocket. "She said to have you drink this when you wake up to restore your strength."

She grabbed the vial Bruce offered and opened it. She took a sniff and a smile graced her lips. It was the same substance Healer Hilda would often give her whenever she's pain. With one big gulp, she downed the content and still be amazed at how fast it took its desired effect.

"Is she still here?" she asked giddily. She couldn't wait to talk to the queen. There were so much she wanted to ask her regarding her newfound energy and power.

"They had to leave quickly because they'll be attending…" Natasha looked at Tony before Bruce then sighed.

"Attending what?" she prompted with raised brow.

"Attending a funeral ceremony for Loki," Tony supplied quickly.

Coldness washed over her at the mention of Loki. For a moment, she had forgotten all about him. Somehow, she was still wishing that this was all just a bad dream; that any moments now she'd see him walk through those doors and laugh at her face for falling for his tricks. She felt her hands turned cold at the realization that it would never happen.

Her chest constricted when a memory of their last moments together popped inside her head but she held down the tears. She couldn't just cry in front of the others. She could feel her throat burning due to it constricting.

"Sugarplum?" Tony called out and touched her shoulder gently bringing her out of her thoughts.

"O-Okay," she answered softly that Tony couldn't almost hear it. "I-I wanted to rest more if that's possible," she requested as she tried not to meet their eyes.

Silence descended upon them all before she heard Bruce sigh. "She's right, she still needs rest," he said giving the others the 'Doctor's order' look.

Tony opened his mouth to argue but one shake of head from Natasha made him shut up. He helped Clio get back to the bed and tucked her in. "Rest easy, okay?" he said and Clio only just nodded and gave him a forced smile. He kissed her head before the three of them went out of the room.

Only when she heard the door finally closed did she let the tears stream freely down her face and let her sob. She'll never see her god of mischief ever again.

 **~0~**

 **-Six Months Later-**

It's been six months since the incident and ever since she was discharged from the hospital, she decided to get back to work immediately despite Tony's refusal. He kept on telling her she needed to rest but in all honesty, she was feeling fine. Her vital signs are stable and no damage befell upon her thanks to the Xhylorian infection.

Speaking of it, she was in deep discussion with Tony about Thor's theory. She was afraid of opening it up to him because he might not accept her but thankfully he was very keen and excited to have an alien daughter which prompted a new nickname for her which was: Pre-daughter (Predator). Which she absolutely hated.

She asked Tony about the first time he saw her but it was the same story ever since: that she was picked up next to her Grandma Maria's grave on their death anniversary. But he promised to look further into that day and talk to people nearby about it which she was thankful enough.

She was currently inside her lab and was working on her new project called the NanoBio. She decided to try another angle and leave the Xhylorian experiment temporarily for a while. The NanoBio was a synthetic version of the Xhylorian and was designed to help others eliminate foreign substances or antibodies that would enter the body immediately. It was like the immune cells but this one was designed to act rapidly. And as rapidly as it acts, so it was to be eliminated from the body but it was a success and was on the process on launching it in different hospitals and pharmaceutical companies.

"Knock knock," she turned around to find Tony leaning against the door frame of her lab.

Her father was currently busy with his new team against the so-called HYDRA. She would try to help them once in a while but most of the time Tony refused for her to get involved. So she just decided to work on her project. Usually, Banner would come and help her but he too, have been busy with the HYDRA situation.

"You've been busy a lot lately, Sugarplum," he addressed as he walked over to her desk.

She gave him a soft smile and nodded as he bent down to kiss her forehead. "Just a little bit," she said before sighing. "I need to upgrade some of the NanoBio's structure to form a complex compound so it can stay in the body much longer," she explained giving him a space next to her so he could see through the microscope.

"You've done great work already with the NanoBio, Sugarplum," he commented after he peaked through the microscope.

"I think I hear a 'but'," she teased earning a chuckle from him.

"But you've been working yourself to death," he added and ruffled her hair. He leaned back on her desk and looked at her straight in the eyes.

"You know I can't die, Dad," she muttered and started piling up some paper works. "Unless of course, if I will be beheaded. I would gladly much make an experiment about it."

"Horrifying," Tony commented earning a small chuckle from his daughter. "Ugh, I don't want to think about that."

"You started it," she accused jokingly.

"I meant 'death' as a metaphor," he argued back and crossed his arms on his chest. He looked around the lab, surveying the equipment or stuff and she knew that he was buying some time. He kept on picking up random stuff on her desk and would put it back where he got it from.

She decided to give him some time to think it through. She started cleaning up the microscope when he decided to break the silence. "So… It's been a while since we last had a heart to heart talk," he began.

Clio raised an eyebrow at her dad with an amused grin. "We talk all the time, Dad," she pointed out and went over to one of her drawers; her back was facing her father. She sighed deeply as she arranged the files. She knew what he meant about 'hear-to-heart talks'.

"Sugarplum, you know what I mean," he said seriously. The tone in his voice was a rare one which she heard three times on a different occasion. Usually, she hated hearing that kind of tone from him and would always prevent him from doing so. But this time, she knew things were different. She didn't answered back instead busied herself with her work.

"I don't know what happened when you were in Asgard or in London but ever since you got back you've drastically changed."

For the past couple of months, Clio never once told what really happened in Asgard. She figured Thor would eventually tell him and if he did Tony never once brought up the subject until now.

Clio heaved another breath then turn around to face him. "Nothing changed, Dad. I'm still me," she assured him but she couldn't help feeling a little upset about it. She just didn't get how she changed 'drastically' as he said. Was it because she was so dedicated to her work? Or how many sleepless nights she spent inside her lab? 'It was for humanity's sake,' she thought grumbling.

' _Admit it, you just can't sleep at night that's why you're oh-so dedicated to your work,'_ the voice sneered.

'Shut up,' she thought. 'Why are you bothering me right now?'

' _I am quite bored,'_ it replied.

'Well, first off since you're quite the little chit-chat tell me how I'm not human and who was my real parents,' she thought angrily.

It had been six months and the only progress she found out was that she had a Xhylorian blood. And that was it; no more extra detail.

It was actually a funny one how she found it. Banner almost turned into a hulk. After she got out from the hospital, the voice didn't speak to her nor tried to annoy her for a week. She should have felt normal and peaceful yet the silence made her very anxious and suspicious. She told herself not to worry and stress about it since there have been so many things going on in her mind lately.

So, she decided to investigate more of her genes and was currently studying some books of the historical species of the universe that she borrowed from Thor when Dr. Banner decided to help her.

One night, at Banner's Lab, they decided to test something that requires sonic wave. Both scientist were amazed on how her body reacted to the smallest frequency. It turned out, different kinds of wave can trigger the smallest change in her body like for example the alpha wave which triggers the claws.

They were both busy having fun of the waves that Banner accidentally hit the highest wave which triggered something inside her. Suddenly, the need to smell blood was so strong that she couldn't resist wrecking havoc. The presence of her fellow scientist made him the target of her flowing blood lust. To cut the story short, everybody in the Avenger Tower woke up with she and Banner fighting. Tony almost called out Veronica but fortunately, Banner (bruised and was on the verge of turning into the hulk) turned the frequency back to its softest tune which turned her back to normal.

At first she was horrified until Banner laughed it off and was instead amazed of the new discovery they found. She wanted to be amaze but she just couldn't bring herself to especially when Thor wasn't a bit amused about it for he saw the whole thing.

 _"You're a Xhylorian," he said grimly making everyone stare at him in confusion. Clio on the other hand was not a bit surprise by the revelation. Somehow, she was just waiting for someone to confirm her suspicions and now here it was. "That's the true power of the Xhylorian. If you are an Eternal, you could have controlled it."_

 _Clio was silent for a while and she could feel Tony's presence beside her in comfort. "That was the second time," she muttered almost coldly to herself. Everyone fell silent and the need to get out of the room felt so strong at the moment that if it wasn't for Tony who speak up, she would have bolted._

 _"When was the first?" Tony asked worriedly at her._

 _"When Frigga got stabbed at the back. I tried to protect her," she informed them. Thor gazed at her in realization. They didn't saw the whole thing where she fought Malekith. The way her body moved and the way she attacked him ferociously._

 _At the battle in London, if it wasn't for the power of the necklace Loki gave, she would lost control too. Come to think of it, she forgot to wore it today. Her hand quickly touched her neck and yes, the necklace was nowhere to be touched. She forgotten to wear it after she took a bath._

 _"We should head back to Asgard," Thor announced._

 _"Woah, woah wait a second. No one's going back to Asgard," Tony interjected putting him in front of Clio. "She just got back, Thor!"_

 _"My friend, your daughter might be in danger," Thor tried to reasoned but Clio shook her head firmly._

 _"No, I'm staying," she said as she put a hand on Tony's shoulder to reassure him. He's right, she just got back and she didn't feel like leaving home anymore. She couldn't bear to go back to Asgard. Especially if it meant facing everything that resembled HIM._

 _Thor must have sensed the firmness in her voice that he sighed._

 _"Loki would have not want you to-"_

 _"Loki is not here," she snapped; her voice cold as ice. "He's gone and he'll never come back."_

 _Thor shut his mouth and she could see the pain crossed his eyes. She wanted to apologize and to take it all back but what would she take back? Loki was really gone. They have to face it one way or another._

 _"Don't worry," Banner spoke, trying to break the building tension and patted Thor's biceps. "She'll be safe. We can find a way for her to control her powers."_

 _'Indeed you shall,' the voice suddenly sneered; finally speaking for the first time in a while that it almost surprised her._

For a moment, her head fell silent and she was starting to be thankful when it suddenly spoke again. _'Now where's the fun in that?'_ it sneered.

She sighed deeply trying to control the rising annoyance inside her and turned her attention back to her father who was eyeing her suspiciously. She did tell him about the voice inside her head so maybe he was giving her time to think through.

"Still bothering you?" he asked; his face was scrunched in worry.

"Sometimes," she admitted. "It just likes to annoy me a lot."

"If only I can find a way to take it off you," he grumbled and ran his fingers in his messy hair. "Anyway, I just want you to still feel the same or normal or whatever."

"There's nothing normal inside me, Dad," she said softly. "But that doesn't mean I changed, okay?"

"But you barely smile anymore," he cut off making Clio paused abruptly and stared at her father. Tony stood up straight and walked over to her. "You used to smile over small things, Clio but now? I barely get to see that anymore; and if you did smile it usually just short. Do you know how hard it is for me? To see you overworking yourself and become a stranger to all of us?"

Clio bit her lip and stared at her hands. Her father was right, though. Inside her mind, he was right about it. She barely smile and laugh ever since then. She barely got to hang out with her friends and she would not have realized that had it not for Tony.

"Dad, I'll be fine," she assured him then gave him a smile.

Tony sighed. "I know you're not fine but I just want to tell you that you're not alone," Tony replied and put both of his hands to each of her shoulders. "Pepper and I, we're here. Always for you," he added.

'Not always,' she thought dryly. 'I'll be alone once the years passed on and you all die of old age.' That thought was bothering her also. Ever since she found out she'd be living for a hundred of years, she was working (secretly) on the NanoBio that would compare to the Super Soldier Serum. If Tony ever find out about this, he'll throw a fit so she kept it a secret.

"I know, Dad," she responded. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

"It's okay, Sugarplum. I mean, that's what dads do, right? Especially when their daughters are going through a rebellious phase," Tony joked earning a joking slap from his daughter.

"I'm not a teenager anymore, Dad," she counteract with a roll in the eyes. "I'm already 25."

"Please don't grow faster," he added with a grin. "I don't want to see my little girl grow up so fast."

"Now, you're just mocking me," she pouted before Tony ruffled her hair. "You, on the other hand, is growing backwards."

"What do you mean?"

Clio produced a picture of him in a bubble bath with his rubber duckling. Pepper sent it to her when Tony was in a meeting. "Really, Dad? Rubber duckling?"

"Hey!" Tony snatched the picture away and tore it to half. "I know you have thousands of that. JARVIS, delete all the pictures of me in a bath tub."

"Certainly, Sir," the A.I. responded.

"Oh but not all JARVIS! Save one!" Clio added making Tony stare at her in disbelief. "Come on, Dad. We need something to laugh at during date night."

Tony sighed and rolled his eyes before turning serious again. "Anyway, I just want to say..."

"You have a lot to say," muttered Clio to which was heard but chose to ignore by Tony.

"-the more you succumbed to your work, the more you feel alone. I got that first hand, trust me. I know that the death of Loki put a huge toll on you and I just want you to know that we're here for you," he added.

She tensed up at the mention of that one name she didn't want to hear at the moment. It had been six months without him and she still couldn't believe he was gone. Tony must have felt her tensed up and pulled her into a hug.

She closed her eyes and relished the scent of her father.

"Don't shut us out, Clio. If it hurts, then let it hurt. If you want to cry then let it all out. Don't take all the pain. We're family here. I want you to be better," Tony comforted.

"I'm trying," she muttered.

"I know, Sugarplum. I know nothing's going to be normal but at least I hope, with us here - your family, I want you to feel like one," he answered.

"Thanks, Dad," she whispered as she pulled away from him. She wiped her eyes then smiled at him. "I think that's enough heart-to-heart talk."

Tony chuckled and ruffled again her hair. "Listen, we're heading straight to the headquarters of HYDRA tonight," he informed her changing the topic.

"You found it?" she asked.

"Yeah and we figured Loki's Scepter is with them too," Tony informed. Clio's brow furrowed at the mention of the scepter.

"How?"

"Well, ever since the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D., the scepter's been missing. We figured that von Strucker found it," explained Tony. One summer ago, Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanov gone through a whole lot of dirt regarding with the agency. It was infested with HYDRA agents and the fight cost Director Fury his life.

"Where is it located?"

"In Sokovia," answered Tony.

"Be careful, okay?" she said. "Is Agent Hill coming with you?" she asked. Agent Maria Hill, after the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. decided to work with the Avengers. She gets along well with her and helped her with a few moves whenever Natasha was away with mission.

"Nope, she's staying," answered Tony.

"What about Pepper? You know she disagree of this right?" She asked cautiously.

Tony was silent; contemplating her words. He and Pepper got into a big fight recently about the whole Avengers and Iron Man stuff. It took a toll in their relationship and Pepper decided to take the whole month off.

She hated to see them fighting but Tony was stubborn and even she couldn't stop him. "Don't worry about it," he answered softly after some time. "Anyway, the others are here. Why don't we go down to greet them?" he offered.

"Really?" She asked with a soft smile. "Okay, I'll cook dinner before you guys go," she offered.

The two of them walked out of her lab and into the elevator. Once they were up to the lounge room, she was instantly greeted by Natasha who was about to walk over the lounge area when she spotted them. She eagerly hugged her tightly. It had been a while since she last saw her. The red haired was busy finding another identity after she leaked out all the information of S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Hey," the older red-haired woman greeted.

"Hey, Natasha," she greeted back with a smile.

She and Natasha became close friends after the Battle of New York and she looked up at her like her big sister. She would usually visit her every now and then if she wasn't working. "How are you?"

"Doing good," she answered and glanced at Tony before the latter decided to go first. "How about you, sweetheart? I hope everything's fine."

"It is," she answered as she linked arms with her friend. "But I hope everyone would stop worrying," she confessed. "Tony and Pepper were already in to me like a hawk."

"You couldn't blame them," answered the red haired to which made Clio sigh.

When they entered the room, Thor greeted her with a big hug. "It's been a while, my friend!"

"Nice to see you too, Thor," she greeted back with a wide grin. "Hey, guys," she greeted the other avengers. She received a chorus of 'Hey' and 'Hello'. "How's everybody?"

"Happy to be back, if you ask me," Steve answered and gave her a smile.

"I'm going to make dinner for everyone before you all guys go," she offered.

"Sounds wonderful," Bruce answered with a smile and she gave a sincere smile back. Dr. Banner was a very nice man and she couldn't believe that he have the green raging monster inside of him.

"Better make it delicious, Clio," Barton commented. "I'm starving," he added with a chuckle.

"I'll make it delicious for you that you won't hit your target straight," she joked earning a laugh from the others.

"We won't hold it against you, Clint," Tony teased earning a roll in the eyes from Clint.

"Surely, Ms. Clio's cooking would be excellent," Steve Rogers stated with a kind smile.

"Ah, yes! I once had Lady Clio's cooking when she visited us back in London!" Thor boasted.

"But… that was just pancakes, Thor," she informed him.

"Pancakes? Is that what it was called? Delicious! I shall have another!" he boomed earning a chorus of laughter from the others.

"Right," she said and giving a slight chuckle. "I'll be right back, you guys."

"I'll help you," Natasha offered and she nodded.

"Hope you don't mind me helping too," Maria Hill offered.

"Not at all," Clio said with a smile. "And boys, please refrain from doing stupid stuff here," she warned when Thor and Clint decided to have an arm wrestling on the glass coffee table.

The three of them went inside the kitchen to prepare for dinner before the avengers go on their mission.

"So, what is your mission exactly?" Clio asked after she put on the pot on the stove.

"It was to infiltrate the HYDRA base and capture all the stolen weapons they got from S.H.I.E.L.D." Natasha replied and Clio nodded as she stirs the stew.

"We got an intel from one of our sources that they have been manipulating the power of the Scepter," Hill added.

"That sounds dangerous."

"Indeed, that's why we're going to get it back," Natasha said.

"Anyway, enough of the work talks," Hill joked then turned to the red-haired assassin. "I smell something between you and Dr. Banner lately," she teased earning a glare from Natasha.

"Dr. Banner?" Clio exclaimed earning a sigh from the assassin. "You mean Dr. Bruce Banner? Oh my! I thought you and Steve were having a thing?"

"Oh no, we don't," Natasha denied as she chopped the onions expertly. Clio suddenly wondered how many people she chopped their fingers off but of course she did not voice it out.

"But you and Dr. Banner?" she continued grinning slightly. "How come? When? How did you know these?" she asked Maria.

"You can't help sniffing it off of them," the black haired agent answered. "They reeked of it," she teased earning a chuckle from Clio.

"I prefer to not get into the subject anymore," Natasha said seriously making Clio zipped her lip.

"Okay, okay," Clio assured her as they continued to cook in silence. "But really?"

"Knock it off!"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was an emotional one and I had a hard time writing that part since I'm not feeling much emotional this days. I would also like to thank those who reviewed the last chapter! And especially those gave time to congratulate in passing. I even got some PM about it. I was so very touched. Thank you!

I did promise to update last week but I've been busy with a lot of things regarding some Oathtaking ceremonies and such. Anyways, if not by this week I will probably be updating next week. I promise! I just have some slight problem with the next one.

Oh, by the way! If ever you have time to read my new story in Wattpad. It's about zombies and its title is Freak Contamination. Thank you!


	24. Chapter 24

**Author's Note:**

 **Hi guys! I'm sorry for the slight delay. I promised I'd update last friday but something came up that can't be ignored and I haven't polished this very well.**

 **But here it is! I hope you like this chapter and please keep on reviewing what you think. I might need a little motivation to continue this anyway.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Marvel Franchise.**

* * *

 **Chapter 24**

 **Longing and Memories**

Once the Avengers went on their way Clio decided to go back to work. Sleep wouldn't come so she decided to exhaust herself. She was in the middle of writing a research journal for the NanoBio when JARVIS announced the arrival of Pepper. It actually surprised her to be seeing the older woman this late at night. It was almost midnight anyway.

"Hey, you mind if I crash in?" Pepper asked by the doorway then hold up two paper bags. "I got us take outs!"

Clio chuckled and ushered the older woman in and decided to clean her desk. "Great timing! I'm starving," she complained as the blonde woman put down the take outs on the desk and sat in front of her. "Mm, Grilled burger. Haven't had this baby since forever," she exclaimed when she got a whiff of the smell.

"Your dad actually told me you barely have time for yourself so I figured you haven't had this yet since you got out of the hospital," Pepper explained as she took out foods and laid it on the desk.

"Huh, you're not wrong," Clio mused as she took a bite from her fries. The saltiness of the food on her tongue taste divine that she closed her eyes to savor it earning a chuckle from Pepper.

"I was planning to have a girl's day out with you in a spa but my schedule was hectic. I just got off the office, by the way," she explained and sighed.

Clio raised an eyebrow at the older woman in front of her before glancing behind her to see the clock which was already quarter to midnight. It was a rare one that Pepper would pull up an all-nighter especially if she was the boss of the company.

"Busy at work or busy avoiding my dad?" she teased and wiggled her brows.

Pepper tensed at her question before sighing. "Both, I guess. He's not here, isn't he?" she asked.

"He's gone off with the Avengers to fight off the Hydra," answered Clio guiltily.

"Now, could you blame me though?"

"Nope," Clio answered then glanced sympathetically at the older woman. "But, Pep, you have to accept the fact that a big part of his being will always be Iron Man."

"I know that. I just don't want him to be involved in to anymore dangerous stuff," Pepper complained. "I couldn't sleep at night knowing he's risking his life."

"I feel you," Clio sighed then smiled at her. "How I wanted to just tie him up here at the tower so he can't come out. I know Dad's a reckless shit but let's face it, Pep. He's not going to change to his old self."

"I wish that was something good," Pepper mused as she laid down her half-eaten burger.

"He'll be arriving tomorrow," Clio informed her. "Why don't you guys try to patch things up together?"

Pepper thought about it for a moment before she shook her head. "Now's not a good time for me. I have to fly to Seattle for a meeting conference for a whole week."

"A whole week? In Seattle?" Clio blurted out in bewilderment then squinted her eyes in suspicion. "Or are you still trying to avoid him?"

Pepper laughed. "Not really, it's actually a 5 days meeting and I add 2 for my own self-vacation," she explained.

"Aw," Clio pouted. "You'll miss the victory party."

"I think it's best if I miss it," she replied and smiled sadly. "I can't face your father yet."

"Well, I can't stop you, can I?" she said and Pepper shook her head in response. "But sooner of later you have to talk to him. You guys need to patch things up or so help me I'll drag both of your asses," she threatened in a joking manner.

Pepper let out a chuckle. "You are so much like him," she mused.

"Whether that's a compliment or an insult, I wouldn't want to find out," she joked earning another round of chuckle from the older lady. "But seriously though, I love you both. You're like a mother to me, Pep and I wouldn't want you and Dad having to fight. It's like you're getting divorce and I'm the child who was stuck in the middle."

Pepper's eyebrows raised in surprise at her statement. "You thought me as your mother?" she asked softly; disbelief lacing her voice.

"Hm? Yeah," answered Clio nonchalantly; oblivious at the fact that the older woman was tearing up at her statement. "I, basically, grew up with you."

She was startled when Pepper hugged her. "Thank you," she muttered softly.

Clio just realized what she had said put a lot of effect on Pepper. A smile grazed her lips and patted her on the back. "You should know that by now, Pep. I'd be very delighted if Dad ask you _The Question,_ " she said when they pulled apart.

Pepper blushed deep shade of red at her statement. "That's too sudden."

"Sudden? You've been dating for years now," she pointed out. "Dad's just too much of a coward to ask it but I know he will be."

"Let's not talk about it anymore," Pepper pleaded but the mirth in her eyes was visible. "Let's talk about some other stuff since I know you can't sleep again."

And with that, the two women spend the evening talking about random things which Clio was glad for.

 **~0~**

An urgent knock on the door startled Clio who fell asleep on her desk after Pepper left for Seattle. She stood up and was about to walk over the door when it opened revealing Maria. Clio was startled at the worry and relief on the former agent's face.

"Is something wrong?" she asked the brunette carefully; praying silently that no bad news came from the mission last night.

"They got the scepter," Maria informed as she walked over to her. Her clipboard was pressed tightly on her chest and the worry in her face never falter. "Did you sleep here?" she asked eyeing her disheveled appearance. There must've been a mark on her face because she offered her a hankie which she gladly took.

"Yeah," she answered and smiled sheepishly.

"Mr. Stark wants you to call Dr. Helen Cho," Maria said as she go over her clipboard.

Clio's eyebrow rose in surprise. "What happened?" she asked but nonetheless walked out of her lab in a quick pace. Maria hot on her heels. They entered the meeting room of the Avengers.

"Clint Barton was shot," she informed her. "But the others are fine," she added when Clio turned to her with worry.

"J.A.R.V.I.S., call Dr. Helen Cho immediately via my name."

"Certainly," answered the A.I.

Helen Cho was one of her good friends and fellow scientist. She was a world-renowned geneticist and she met her at one of the conventions in Korea where she was hosting. She developed a liking on the said scientist and even asked her for some advice in the NanoBio.

"She's on the line," announced J.A.R.V.I.S. and true to that a screen appeared at the wall with Helen Cho.

"Hello, Clio, it's been a while," Helen greeted politely and a little tad surprise at the sudden call.

"Hey, Helen. I'm sorry for calling you so suddenly," she apologized politely to which her fellow scientist dismissed with a wave of her hand. "We need you to come in. One of our team got shot."

Helen nodded her head in understanding. "I'll be there," she replied without further thinking and hesitation.

"I'll have J.A.R.V.I.S send a quinjet over," she informed her. "Thank you, Helen."

Helen smiled and nodded before the screen went black. Clio turned to Maria. "How much time do we have until they get here?"

"We have 2 hours at least," the woman replied professionally and Clio nodded in return. "I'll get the quinjet."

"Thank you," she replied and walked over to the elevator to her room. She opened her phone to see Tony's missed calls. He must have been contacting here before he decided to call Maria. That must've been the reason why the former agent rushed inside her office with worry. Her father must've got the wrong idea and made Maria dash to her. Her eyes rolled at the thought.

Once she was inside her floor, she decided to call her father's quinjet.

After the first ring, her father answered immediately. "I'm fine," she said in an annoyed tone before he could even say something. "I fell asleep when you called."

In the background, she could see Thor waving at her joyfully and Steve Rogers nodding at her in acknowledgement. She chuckled at them and waved back. She could see a man lying on a table which she assumed was Barton and Natasha and Bruce over the corner talking.

"In your office again?" Teased Tony making Clio sigh.

"Pepper came by," she informed him and smirked when her father tense. "She just went to check up on me nothing more nothing less," she interrupted when Tony opened his mouth probably to ask for the details.

"Okay," he muttered then grinned trying to cover up for his slight tension. "Did you call Helen? Barton's flatlining."

"Yeah, she'd be here in half an hour," she informed and eyed him warily. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"Very much fine than Barton," he replied. At the background there was a muffled 'Damn you, Stark' which she knew came from Barton. "Language, Barton. Language," he warned with a click of his tongue.

Steve sighed as if having had enough. "It just came out," he muttered at no one in particular.

Clio raised a brow inquiringly at Tony who chuckled. "I'll tell you all about it later."

"I suggest you don't," Steve warned giving her father a warning glance which, of course, was ignored by Tony.

"Can't wait," she responded with a giggle at the frustated look Steve gave her. "Travel safely, guys. Oh and Dr. Banner," she called out.

The mentioned scientist looked up at the intercom. "Yes?" He inquired politely. Clio eyed the doctor's disheveled appearance with pity. He must've turned into the green monster again without his consent.

"You don't mind if Dr. Cho uses your lab?" She asked.

Banner shook his head. "No, it's okay," he replied.

"Okay, thanks," she said then turned back to her father. "I'll see you, guys, later."

"Ciao, Sugarplum," replied her father before the call went off.

After the call, she decided to take a hot shower. Her body was sore and it must've been due to the position she slept in. Her mind recalled to the conversation she had with Pepper last night.

 _"Why don't you rethink of going back to Asgard for a change?"_ she had ask. Clio was momentarily surprised by the sudden question. Was she really that scared to go back to Asgard?

Her hand travelled from her hair to her neck where the necklace resided. It had been so long. She didn't know if she have the strength to face it.

 _Your heart still beats for that Jotun,_ the voice commented.

She pursed her lips and ignored it. She wrapped a towel over her body and changed into a more comfortable clothing.

Any minute now their guest would arrive and she needed to be there to greet her.

She could hear the voice muttering _pathetic human being_ softly.

"Dr. Cho," greeted Clio when the said doctor exited the Quinjet.

"Must I always remind you, Dr. Stark, to call me Helen?" She teased earning a chuckle from the latter.

"Right," she muttered as she lead the way to Banner's lab. Helen, with her assistants, drag the cradle device in. "How is it going with the NanoBio?"

"Still under observation," answered Clio. "It gets excreted by the body within an hour."

"Well, the body usually excrete substances that are polar," Helen mused as she set up the cradle.

"That's one thing I've been working on. I can't find any compatible substance that will turn it to a non polar," admitted Clio with a defeated sigh.

"Don't give up," she said with a smile. "You're one step closer to a cancer cure. That's a big step in the society."

"I know," she grumbled. "It's too powerful."

"You're afraid that since it's too powerful there might be harmful side effects," she suggested.

"That and maybe I need to stop comparing it to the Super Soldier Serum; to see it in a different angle," Clio mused.

"It's far from the Serum, Clio. Had I not seen it with my own eyes I would have hard time believing it," Helen commented.

"I did have a hard time believing your cradle, either. So it's only fair," she joked earning a chuckle.

"If you need any more advice with NanoBio, I'm willing to help," Helen offered kindly to which Clio smiled at.

"Grateful for it, Dr. Cho," she teased earning a reprimanding look from her fellow scientist. "I still got a long way to go."

Maria entered the lab interrupting their conversation. "They'll be here in 15 minutes," she announced to which the Stark doctor nodded in reply.

"Thank you," Clio said and gestured Helen to the door. "Shall we, doctor?"

 **~0~**

Harsh wind blew from the east making it impossible for sight. If he were a mortal the wind could lacerate his skin. But his godly powers protect him from the raucous gust. The hood of his shawl covered almost his lower face to prevent him from inhaling extraneous particles that were floating in the air as his green eyes gazed at the surrounding.

He needed to rest. Teleportation from world to world took a toll from his magical powers and could already feel it depleting. The last jump he made was an accident and he didn't know where he was at right now. The sky was dark and he could hardly see much. He doubt anyone who was walking nearby would see him. But this was not a place to rest. He could barely breathe let alone rest.

Oh, how he wanted to give up! As if the universe took pity of him, his eyes spotted a cave not far from where he was standing. Walking- almost crawling- over it, he dropped himself down like a bag of sack in exhaustion. If anyone he knew would see him right now and know the reason why he was currently doing this would laugh at him. Loki Odinson, Rightful King of Jotunheim, Prince of Asgard, God of Mischief; who would have known he'd stoop this low? But this is it. He really was doing it. Not for himself. Not for Asgard. Not for the worlds known. Not for Thor or Odin. But for her... and Frigga.

Breathing heavily, he used the last energy he have and waved his hand in front of him; green light following his every movement. After chanting a few spell an image appeared to him. It's her; smiling and laughing at him as she clutched the Elvenmist pendant to her heart. This came from his memory. His last moments with her were too painful that he dared not to mull over it. He figured if he ever survived this mission of his, she'd never forgive him for his deception. He never actually even hoped for her forgiveness.

A light chuckle escaped his lips as she remembered the joke she failed to execute in that moment. Her eyes were bright gray like lightning in the storm while she was telling it and when he slammed it down a cute little pout appeared. How he missed everything about her. How he just wanted to see her face again.

As his eyes fluttered close due to exhaustion, the last thing he sees was her enchanting smile as she muttered his name with much love.

 **~0~**

They watched as the quinjet landed on the helipad of the Avengers Tower formerly known as the Stark Tower.

Once the door opened, Natasha quickly rolled down the metal table with Barton lying on it. Immediately, Cho with her team took over the table and rolled it down to Banner's lab.

"Glad you're back," Clio said to the red haired who gave her a quick hug before trotting to be with her best friend.

As she turn around, she saw Thor walking out. In his arm was a scepter; the same scepter Loki used when he invaded New York.

Thor also noticed her there and beamed at her. "Ah, my friend! Such a splendid day," he greeted earning a chuckle from Clio.

"To Barton? I don't think he'll find it very splendid," she teased then eyed the scepter. "So you finally got it."

"Yes, Loki's scepter," Thor muttered as he too gazed at it. It felt like yesterday when they saw Loki holding this thing. Shaking his head, Thor smiled again at her. "I'll be returning this to Asgard. Do you want to come this time?"

Clio swallowed a lump as she shook her head. "I need to fix everything here first before I visit Asgard, again."

The God of Thunder nodded in understanding. "I understand. Should your mind change, you can always tell me. Mother will always be thrilled to have you."

Clio smiled before she excused herself when Tony emerges from the quinjet with Cap and Maria.

"Did you bring home the bacon, Cap?" She asked.

"Sure did," Steve answered and smiled. "It wasn't easy."

"Nothing's easy," she agreed before he and Maria started talking about their mission while they with Thor walked inside the Tower.

"So, mind telling me why you're up working late at night?" Her father piped up.

Clio sighed and rolled her eyes. "Come on, dad. You've got a lot of work to do," she complained as Tony slung his arm around his daughter and kissed her on the forehead.

"Why don't we go see how Helen revive Barton? I'm sure he's flatlining. He might need to be injected with your NanoBio," he joked making Clio chuckle.

"I doubt that," she muttered as they go over to Banner's lab.

Barton was awake at the moment as the Cradle do its work on the damaged part.

"Told you my cooking won't let you hit your target straight," teased Clio when they walked in.

"It sure did," came the hoarse reply of Barton. "I need to drink," he announced.

"I'll get it," Tony offered. "Whisky or Vodka?"

"Whatever you have stronger," he replied.

"I'll mix both," Tony said before walking out of the lab.

"You know, when Dad mix two drinks you either don't wake up from it or you could wake up but wishing you didn't," explained Clio earning a chuckle from the two ladies inside the room.

"What did I miss?" Banner asked walking inside the room.

"Dad's planning to kill Barton with drinks," answered Clio.

"I don't even want to know how," muttered Banner.

"Are you sure he's going to be okay?" Natasha piped up as she watch the Cradle regenerate Barton's tissue. "Pretending to need this guy brings the whole team together," she teased.

"There's no possibility of deterioration," answered Helen. "The nano-molecular functionality is instantaneous," explained Helen Cho as Bruce and Clio watched up close in scientific awe.

"Naturally, the upper layer of our skin are constantly replacing itself when it's damaged but the lower part has no ability to regenerate," Clio explained making Cho nod her head in her statement. "Exactly the reason why tattoos or scars in the dermis cannot be erased. That's why this is brilliant!"

"Yes, his cells don't know they're bonding with a simulacrum," added Cho.

Natasha rose a brow in confusion at Banner who smiled at her. "She's creating a tissue," explained the good doctor.

"If you brought him to my lab, the regeneration Cradle could do this in 20 minutes," Helen said.

"Impressive," Banner muttered as Clio nod in agreement.

"Oh, he's flatlining. Call it! Time?" Tony announced as he walked inside with a couple of beverages on a tray.

"No, no, no," Barton said and then grinned. "I'm going to live forever. I'm going to be made of plastics," he added with a chuckle.

"Your beverage," offered Tony as he lowered the drink to Barton who eyed suspiciously before shrugging and taking a sip.

"You will be made of you, Mr. Barton. Your girlfriend won't even see the difference," Helen explained.

"I don't have a girlfriend," countered Barton and glanced at Natasha who grinned knowingly.

"Well, that I can't fix," Helen humored with finality making Clio chuckle before the Geneticist turned to Tony with a clipboard on hand. "This is the next thing, Tony. Your clunky metal suits are going to be left in the dust."

"Well, that is exactly the plan," Tony said and sighed. "And Helen I expect you to be at the party on Saturday."

Hesitation crossed the scientist face before she turned back to her clipboard clearly avoiding the excited look of her fellow female scientist. "Unlike you, I don't have a lot of time for parties."

Clio's face dropped at the statement. "Come on, Helen. You need to unwind a bit. Besides, you did say you're going to help me with the NanoBio," she pursuaded.

"Consider it as a thank you present for fixing up Barton," Tony added as he slung his arm around his daughter's shoulder.

Helen glanced at the father-daughter. The look on their faces shows just how much they looked alike right now if Clio ever had brown hair and brown eyes. Knowing this is a losing battle, she sighed. Besides, she can't say no to the female Stark not after they became good friends. "Will... Thor be there?"


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Marvel Franchise. They belong to their rightful owners.**

* * *

 **Chapter 25:**

 **Victory Party Gone Wrong**

* * *

Clio spent the whole day helping out Helen on fixing Barton while Tony and Bruce kept themselves inside the former's lab to study the complexities of the scepter which Thor had given them approval to study it before he return it to Asgard.

Thinking about Asgard, she still wasn't sure if refusing to go back was a good idea. She truly did miss the place but the thought of remembering every pain she tried so hard to forget scared her. Besides that, she wasn't that sure Tony would let her go.

"I find it hard to believe you don't have a girlfriend, Mr. Barton," Helen teased making Clio and their patient chuckle.

"Busy shooting arrows?" Added Clio as she studied his vitals for any complications.

"You bet," Clint answered as he watched the two doctors intently. "Any news about my condition?"

"You're as good as new," Helen commented as she shut her clipboard and put it on the desk.

"No one's going to notice the difference," Clio offered as she poked the new skin. "Does it hurt?"

Clint grunted and sighed. "I could barely feel your finger poking it."

"That will only be temporary," claimed Helen and stood next to Clio. "Your perception will be back once the mother cells completed its task of binding."

Natasha, who recently just come in with a bag of chips, smiled at them.

"Where'd you run off to?" Asked Barton and grabbed a handful of chips.

"I started planning for the party," the redhaired answered.

Clio gasped and glanced at Natasha. "Oh, right! I forgot about the party."

"No biggie," answered the former spy. "I've got nothing to do anyway. Besides, the beverages and foods were already taken care of by Maria. Most of the works are done now. The only problem is the guest and who to invite. Your daddy is holed up with Banner inside his lab."

Clio sighed dejectedly. "He's not coming out until the party that's for sure," she commented earning a sympathetic pat from the redhaired. "I'll take care of the invitations. How about the music?"

"Maria told me you'll be the one to take care of it," she said and Clio nodded with a grin.

"I've contacted one of my friends who is a DJ. He confirmed he'll come," she replied as she scrolled on to the messages and emails on her phone. "Where are the others- Cap and Thor?"

"Steve is busy studying the intel Coulson gave about the twins," Natasha answered. The redhaired gave a brief discussion about the two mutants that showed up at the battle earlier to which Clio find it to be interesting. "Thor, on the other hand, went to visit Jane."

Clio nodded and grinned at Clint who also returned it with a grin of his own. "Do you think he'll get an ear full this time?" He asked referring to the God of Thunder's girlfriend rage.

"Maybe," answered Clio then chuckled. "Unless she instantly melt away from Thor's swooning. She has the tendency to be swayed by the Asgardian's way of words."

Natasha and Helen chuckled. "Anyone would get swayed by his words," Helen commented with a dreamy look in her eyes.

"Do you get swayed, Dr. Cho?" asked Clint teasingly making Natasha roll her eyes.

"I did say 'anyone'," she responded.

"Not me," Clio denied as she wiped her palm on her pants.

"Neither do I," Natasha said.

"Well, you bet your ass I don't too," Clint grunted making the three ladies laugh.

Clio, shaking her head with mirth, walked towards the exit. "I'll be going now. I have a party to organize," she said then winked at the male assassin. "Feel better, Clint. Or you won't be able to join."

 **~0~**

She watched Tony sighed dejectedly from the door way. Whether he heard her come in or not, he did not show it. But knowing her father, she knew he was too holed up into his work to even notice anything at all. The creased on his forehead deepened with concentration as he observed the holographic image in front of him.

She cleared her throat to gain his attention and he jumped a little which made her smirk. He turned around and saw her leaning at the doorway.

"Nat asked me to pick you up," she said with a smirk on her lips. "Party's about to start."

Tony, finally noticing her outfit, chuckled lightly. "It must've slipped from my mind," he muttered as she stand next to him.

The casual way of him dismissing his work did not go unnoticed by her but she didn't want to probe anyway. "Look at you!" He said as he twirled her around; her blue dress swaying gracefully with her every move. "Such beauty! It must've come from your father," he teased making Clio laugh wholeheartedly.

 _'Yes, he's right. You're father was a beautiful Xhylorian,'_ the voice spoke making her smile falter slightly. A lump formed inside her throat.

'You know my father?' She thought.

' _I know everything there is to know about you,'_ it said.

Clio pursed her lips tightly. 'No. You don't. And my father is not a Xhylorian and he is standing in front of me,' she thought and the voice laughed as if what she said was very amusing when it was not.

"Clio?" Tony called out snapping her from her own thoughts. He put a hair behind her ear as he looked worriedly at her. "Sugarplum, is everything alright?"

Clio slowly swallowed the lump in her throat before she smiled at him. "Y-yeah, I'm fine," she murmured before she raised an eyebrow. "You've been holed up again inside your lab since you got back from Sokovia, Dad," she reprimanded lightly earning a roll of his eyes.

"Quick to change the subject as ever," he observed with a frown.

"I'm fine, really. The voice is just annoying as ever," she assured as she patted his back. "But you need to get ready. They're already looking for you."

"A host needs a grand entrance," he countered giving her a light jab at her side which she swatted playfully. "Okay, J.A.R.V.I.S., wrap it all up."

"Certainly, sir," the AI responded.

Tony walked over to the exit. "Make sure to keep the guests entertained while I'm gone, Sugarplum," he ordered.

Before he could finally exit, she called him out. "I," she began when he turned back to him. "never got to thank you."

Tony's brows creased in confusion. "What for?" He asked.

Clio took a deep breath and smiled genuinely. "For this life," she answered. "I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for you," she added her voice breaking a little.

Tony regarded her with his brown eyes. She could see his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. He slowly walked over to her and gathered her up in his arms.

"You know, adopting you was and will always be the best decision I ever made in my entire life," he muttered and kissed her head.

Clio bit her lip as she sniffed. "I never get to know my real father but I'm very thankful that I got to have you than anyone else," she muttered back.

"Do you want to know who your real father is?" He asked and she shook her head in answer.

"Why would I need to? You're already hugging me," she said and chuckled lightly.

"Good," he said. The two of them shared a moment together as father and daughter not once bothering to speak up.

Clio sniffled once again before parting from him. "Okay, you really do need a bath," she teased and laughed lightly when he sniffed his armpit.

"Yeah, you're right," he said and hurriedly walked out of the lab.

 **~0~**

The moment he heard footsteps, his eyes were wide awake, his whole body alert and his senses were high. Slowly, he stood up and grabbed a knife hidden from his shawl. His body hadn't rested enough for him to jump to another planet. His body needs nourishment too.

His brows creased when the light careful footsteps turned to be a shuffling noises. With light steps, he prowled his way over to one of the high rock and peered ahead.

Now that the weather was still, he noticed more the surrounding of the place he accidentally jumped into. Across the wet place, an unknown specie was gliding -rather, dancing- its way towards what looked like a forsaken, dark temple.

Loki raised a brow when something about the way it moved felt so familiar to him. But he shook it at the back of his head. That's not a priority right now. It must've have some kind of ship somewhere in this barren land for it to arrive here.

Flicking his hand, green light emerges from it. Under his breath, he chanted spells to track its way to where it came from. The green light from his hand suddenly moved forward doing its work. With quick feet, Loki followed the light silently as possible to not alert someone.

Despite the weather stilling, the fog and mist around the place was still thick giving him hard time to see where he was running off to. His hands swatted here and there little reptiles that looked like lizards.

The lizard, he figured as he studied it closely, was known as Orlini. 'Morag,' he thought of the planet he was on. Orlini was the major inhabitant of Morag, he read from the books.

His feet abruptly stop when he noticed a ship from a distance. He would have continued running towards it had it not for the four or five alien species guarding it which he quickly took noticed as a Sakaarans.

'Could there be more of them?' He mused. He could easily take them out if he was in full strength. But with lack of nourishment in his body, it won't be an easy fight.

"What do you think the rewards would Ronan give us for the orbs?" One of them spoke in a foreign language. Had Loki not been blessed by his multi-language, he would not have understand it.

'Ronan?' He thought. He have heard of the name before. When he was still a prisoner of his captor way back. A shiver ran down his spine. The alien soldiers were somehow connected to _him_. And what of this orbs they were talking about? He needed to get inside the ship to get an Intel and pass it on to Odin quickly.

Sighing, it's now or never. With quick and quiet step, he slipped behind them with a quick thrust of his knives he took down two of the aliens before there was a loud explosion from the temple distracting the other remaining guards. The guy from before was running away from the one chasing him which turned out to be one of the aliens he took down.

Four more appeared out of nowhere to stop the guy a gadget was thrown at their feet and magnetizing them to the ground. Loki took down the remaining two who was about to shoot the guy.

"You're not one of them?" The guy asked when he stopped by and shoot something behind him.

Loki turned around just in time to see a Sakaaran fall down to the ground with a whole on its chest.

"No," he answered and flipped his knife in his hand. "Is this yours?" He asked pertaining to the ship behind them.

"Yep," the guy answered.

"Care to give me a ride out of here?" Loki asked almost knowing what the answer will already be.

"Nope," just as he thought. "I work solo."

Loki smirked at him. "So do I," he said then pulled out something he picked while the guy was busy shooting. "But I think you might want these back?"

The guy stiffened and Loki wished he could the expression behind the mask. Despite changing for the better good, he couldn't help the glee whenever he do mischief.

"Give those back!" He demanded.

Loki tilted his head and glanced at the thing on his hands. It was a smooth, blue box with a black wire connected to it in the end that looked like ear muffs. It looked worn out due to the rusty color.

"Give me a ride out of here and I'll give this back to you," he ordered.

A roar erupted from a distance and they saw a Sakaaran running up to them. The guy prepared his gun but before he could pull the trigger, an illusion of Loki appeared behind it and stabbed it in the back.

"I mean no harm," he added as the Sakaaran leader fell dead on the ground. "I just want to get out of here."

The guy regarded him slowly before he pushed a button behind his ear. Loki's eyes widened in realization why this guy's moves was so familiar.

"You're a human," he pointed out.

The guy raised an eyebrow at his statement. "Yeah," he answered and glanced at him. "What about you?"

"As-" he began to say but stopped mid-sentence. "Jotun," he corrected.

The guy's brow raised. "Jotun? What- you mean from Jotunheim?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes. Why?"

"Dude, I thought that place doesn't exist or... I mean... if it really do exist it's millions of light years away!" he said and gaped at his appearance. "But from what I recall from the stories, Jotun are big and stupid and blue. You're not blue."

Loki gritted his teeth at how stupid the man in front of him. But he tried to calm himself. Not all species from the Universe knew about Yggdrasil. "I'm not like most Jotun," he hissed. "Unless you want me to turn blue and have this thing crush under my hand then I'll be happy to do it-"

"Don't you dare," he threatened pointing his gun at him.

"Then get me out of here," he demanded with finality in his voice.

The man was silent for a moment, weighing his options. He must have held a great value for the thing on his palm for him to take his time. Finally admitting defeat, the guy sighed and pocketed back his gun.

"Fine," he grumbled under his breath. He turned around and walked back to his ship.

Loki followed afterwards with his guard up just in case the man was planning something that wasn't funny.

"So, what's your story? How'd you got here?" the man asked when they entered the ship.

"There's nothing to tell," Loki said and smiled without humor. "Just took a wrong jump."

The man was silent as he sat on the pilot seat and started the ship. Loki sat to the next seat and buckled up. "Do you got a name then? Or should I call you Jotun-man?"

"Kil," he answered nonchalantly. Well, he wasn't the God of Mischief for nothing; might as well put his skills to work. "You?"

The ship slowly descended from the ground as he smirked at him. "The name is Star-Lord," he said coolly.

"Peter?" The two of them turned towards the sound of the voice behind them. A red lady stood behind them with a wary expression.

Peter, upon realizing the newcomer, regarded the lady with caution. "Hey, um... uh..."

'Is this for real?' Loki thought as he watched the man named 'Star-Lord' fiddled with the right words to say.

"You... I... forgot your name-"

"Bereet!"

"Bereet! Right! Bereet, I totally forgot you're here too," he said sheepishly.

"Who is this?" Bereet asked.

"No one. You know what? Why don't you go back to where you were hiding? I'll call you when we're back in Xandar," Peter persuaded.

Bereet was easily swayed and went back to her little cocoon.

"Xandar?" Loki asked and thought for a moment. Xandar was not his planned destination but it was the first civilization he'd come across after some time.

"Yep," he answered, popping the 'p' sound at the end. "I got to give a relic to someone," he added.

Loki suddenly remembered something and he pulled out the blue device. Peter saw it too and glanced at him warily. "I won't drop you, okay? Just don't break it!"

"I won't. I need answers."

"First, you need a ride and now you want answers. Great," he muttered the last part.

"I could easily break-"

"Okay, fine! Damn it!" he cursed. "What do you want to know?"

Loki regarded him slowly. "What do you know about this 'Ronan'?" he asked.

Peter glanced at him sideways. "Why do people keep talking about that 'Ronan' guy? I don't even know him," he admitted. "Who is he, anyway?"

Loki studied Peter's face. He was telling the truth, his gut was telling him. He knows when someone was lying in front of him and it never failed him yet. "I just heard it from the soldiers before," he said then his eyes squinted. "Why are they chasing you?"

"They were out to get the orb, too," he answered.

"What orb?" Loki asked.

Peter pulled out a sphere from his jacket and showed it to him. Loki's brows creased at the object.

"This is the orb. I was given the task to steal it and give it to the Broker in Xandar that's why I'm headed there," he explained.

Loki thought about it for a moment. He needed to know more about Ronan and the only one he can get that information was the Broker this person was talking about. This might lead him to his captor and his evil plans.

 **~0~**

Clio was watching the others playing deck of cards at the lounge area. The party ended an hour ago and they decided to have a little after party since Thor's going back to Asgard tomorrow.

Clio opened her phone when it vibrated from her hand signaling that there was an email. A holographic image appeared when she pressed a button. A genuine smile appeared from her lips when she read the sender. Slowly, her smile grew into a grin as she read the content of the message.

"Is it a boy?"

Clio flinched slightly in surprise and turned towards the voice who happened to be Natasha Romanov. She chuckled lightly before nodding. "Yep, it is," she answered making the red-haired agent smile teasingly.

"Care to share?" she asked as she offered a bottle of beer to which she gladly accept it.

She showed the content of the email to her friend which she eagerly read before her brows creased. "Peter Parker?" she read the sender's name.

"He's actually the boy I saved from the Battle of New York, remember?" she asked.

"Oh!" Natasha responded and grinned at him. "That's five years ago. How old is he now?"

"Somewhere around 15, I think. I gave him my email address before he was taken care of the police. Every now and then, he would send me an email of his achievements in school whether its big or small. In fact, his recent email consist of the yesterday's Science fair held in their school. He won first prize," she informed proudly. "I was actually there when he received the trophy."

Natasha's brows creased. "Yesterday? You mean when you said you'll visit someone? That's Peter?" she adked and Clio nodded.

"He didn't know I was there, however."

"Why?"

Clio shrugged her shoulders. "I had to go quickly for the party," she explained. "Tho, I did inform him I was there. You know, I had Happy collect information about his school and gave him scholarship under my name."

"That's very sweet of you," Natasha complimented as she watch the younger woman drink from her beer.

"It's the least I can do for what happened to his family," she muttered; a sad look crossed her face. "He didn't deserve this kind of pain at a young age. I figured supporting him financially would lessen the burden."

"Are you blaming yourself for what happened to his family?" she asked slowly.

Clio thought about it for a moment before she shook her head. "No," she answered. "I just empathized for him. And plus, he's really smart and very dedicated to his school works. I think I made the right decision on that one."

Natasha chuckled. "Indeed," she agreed and then grabbed her wrist. "Let's go back. It's getting cold out here, you know."

Clio smiled and nodded. When they returned to the lounge room, Natasha sat next to Banner while Clio sat next to her as Thor laughed at something Clint said.

"But it's a trick," Clint commented, eyeing the hammer suspiciously on the table while he flipped the drum stick with his fingers.

"No, no," answered Thor. "It's much more than that."

Clint regarded the hammer and with deep voice said, "'Ah, whosoever be he worthy shall haveth the power'- whatever, man it's a trick!"

Thor, clearly amused by the conversation, indicated the hammer. "Please, be my guest," he said.

Silence descended upon them for a while. "Come on, Barton," Tony beckoned teasingly.

"Really?" Clint said exasperatedly.

"Yeah," Thor answered with a light chuckle.

She giggled when Clint stood up, really considering to try to lift the hammer.

"Oh this is going to be beautiful," Rhodey commented with a grin.

"Clint, you've had a tough week. We won't hold it against you if you can't get it up," Tony added earning a laugh from the others.

Clint, still not really convinced, glanced at Thor. "You know I've seen this before, right?" he confirmed and Thor nodded still really amused by the event.

With one hand, Barton grasped the handle and slowly tried to lift it. A grunt escaped his lips while the hammer didn't even moved an inch. A chuckle formed from his throat. "I still don't know how you do it!"

"Smell the silent judgment?" teased Tony.

"Please, Stark, by all means!" beckoned Clint.

Clio glanced at her father with a challenging look. One fact: Tony Stark was very competitive. Slowly, Tony stood up and unbuttoned his coat with a sigh as if this competition bored him.

"Okay."

"Uh-oh."

"Uh-hm."

"Never one to shrink from an honest challenge," Tony said as he walked over the hammer.

"Get after it, then," Clio said as they watch him grabbed the handle gently.

"It's physic," he explained. "Right, so if I lift it I then rule Asgard?"

"Yes, of course," Thor said simply.

"I will be re-instituting Prima Nocta," Tony added as an afterthought making the women in the room roll their eyes at. He put his foot on the table for more lever and inserted his hand at the string of the hammer before finally lifting it. But of course, Mjolnir didn't budge.

A grunt escaped his lip before he let go of the handle. With a determined look on his face, he said. "I'll be right back."

When he came back, his hand was gloved with his iron man suit making Thor laugh giddily; again of course, Tony failed to lift it.

Tony beckoned Rhodey and the two tried to lift it with their gloved hand from their suit. "Are you even pulling?" Rhodey asked incredulously.

"Are you on my team?" Tony asked back clearly irritated by what's happening.

"Just represent! Pull!"

"Alright, let's go," he muttered and the two tried to lift it and again failed.

The next one to try it was Dr. Banner who grunted and made a lame impersonation of having to turn to the Hulk. Of course, no one was amused by it except of course Natasha.

"Go, Cap," Clio cheered when the said captain stood up.

"Why didn't you cheer for me?" Tony asked jokingly earning a laugh from the others.

"Go, Steve, no pressure!" Clint cheered too.

Everyone watched in anticipation as the Legendary Soldier readied his stance.

"Come on, Cap," beckoned Tony.

Their eyes widened when Mjolnir budged just a little. Of course, after the second attempt Cap lifted his hands in defeat.

Thor who was watching with worried expression chuckled in relief. "Nothing, then," he commented.

"How about the girls?" Rhodey asked.

"I'm out," Maria said as she lifted her hands in surrender.

"Widow?"

"Oh no, that's not a question I need answered," she responded with a grin.

"Clio?"

"I'm happy with my beer," she answered as she lifted her beer in emphasis.

"All deference to the Man Who Wouldn't Be King, but it's rigged," Tony commented.

"You bet your ass," Clint said as he patted Tony's shoulder.

"Steve," Maria called and pointed at Clint. "He said a bad language word."

Steve sighed clearly having had enough of the joke. "Did you tell everyone about that?" he asked Tony who only shrugged in return.

"The handle's imprinted, right?" Tony said. "Like a security code? Whosoever is carrying Thor's fingerprint is, I think, the literal translation."

Thor, finally, stood up. "Yes, it's very, very interesting theory," he said as he walked over to his hammer. "I have a simpler one," he grabbed the handle and lifted the hammer as if it was the most lightest thing and flipped it to the air. "You're all not worthy."

Some groaned and some laughed at the comment while the others just rolled their eyes.

"Oh come on," Clint complained as he lifted his beer to his lips.

The others did the same when a high pitched sound wave echoed throughout the room.

Clio screamed and doubled over as pain erupted in her head since the high pitched sound wave always triggered immense headache.

"Clio," she heard Tony called worriedly. "Are you okay? Something must've triggered the wave," he muttered as he grabbed his holographic phone. Suddenly, the sound wave faded.

She felt a hand grabbed her arm and gently pulled her up.

"I-I'm fine," she muttered, breathing heavily as the headache slowly dissipate. Thor who was the one holding her up nodded but his attention was somewhere else.

A clanking sound echoed the lounge followed by a gurgled noise. "Wor...thy..." something hissed and before them appeared a broken suit part of the Iron Legion. "No... How could you be worthy? You're all killers," it said.

"Stark," called Steve Rogers.

"J.A.R.V.I.S.?" Tony called out, his eyes never leaving the Iron Legion.

"I'm sorry, I was asleep. Oh, I had a dream-" it continued.

"Dad?" Clio called out, alarmed.

"Yeah, the general just got buggy suit," he tried to explain as he continued to press something in his holographic phone.

"-and there was a terrible noise and I was tangled in a... hmmm," it looked at its body as if just noticing it. "Strings. I had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy."

"You killed someone?" Steve asked in a cool rage.

"Wouldn't be my first call but down in the real world we're faced with ugly choices," it answered.

"Who sent you?" Thor asked as he gripped his hammer.

 _"I see a suit of armor around the world"_ a voice record echoed the silence.

Clio glanced at Tony in shock to hear his voice.

"Ultron," Bruce answered in realization glancing at Tony in fear.

"In the flesh," answered the Iron Legion. "Or no, not yet. Not this... Christmas. But I'm ready. I'm on a mission," it continued.

Clio alerted all her senses at the word. It seemed like everybody in the room did the same.

"What mission?" Asked Natasha.

"Peace in our time."

With that, two more Iron Legion broke into the glass wall. Steve kicked the table up for defense but was pushed backward, landing on his back.

"Duck," Thor ordered at Clio who did as she was told before he swung his hammer to the approaching Iron Legion.

Everybody scrambled for safety and tried to fight. But they were caught off guard and was not expecting to be attacked inside the tower.

Clio tried to summon an energy blast at one of the approaching Iron legion. It sent it flying backward but another one appeared and hit her that also sent her backwards.

"Clio!" she heard Helen Cho called out to her.

Ignoring the pain on her side, she glanced to where the doctor was located and saw her trying to hide behind the grand piano while a battered legion advanced its way towards her.

Gritting her teeth, she stood up just before Steve grabbed the legion and sent it her way. Summoning another round of energy, she shoot a kinetic blast towards it destroying it for good.

"Ah," someone hissed behind her making all the hair at the back of her neck stand and when she turned around a yelp escaped her lip as sharp pain protruded her stomach.

Breathing heavily, she glared at the hideous creature in front of her. "Tell me how much pain you're in," it hissed again as he embedded the sharp object deeper.

Groaning, she lifted her hand - now, her claws were out - and cut the object in half before she punched it in the face making it fly backward. But another legion appeared in the air near her and readied to shoot.

Steve ran up to her as Clint threw his shield which he caught and threw it again at the last legion, deactivating it in the process.

"Madness dramatic," the hideous creature commented as Steve caught her when she fall backward.

"Thanks," she muttered and he nodded in answer but his eyes were on the object that was protruded on her stomach.

"I'm sorry, I know you mean well but you didn't just make it through."

Steve steadied her gently and readied his stance just in case another round of legion appeared.

"You want to protect the world but you don't want it to change. How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to evolve? There's only one path to peace," it said and then paused.

"The Avenger's extinction."

Thor threw his hammer finally destroying the last Legion. "I... was a... string... but now... I'm... free," it hissed before it began to quiet.

Silence descended upon the group as what happened sunk inside their head. When Steve slowly lowered her to the ground making slight noises only then the others snapped back.

Tony's eyes widened at the sight of her bloodied ran up to her and so does the others. Helen Cho ordered Steve to bring her to the cradle.

"No, it's okay," she declined as she slowly grasped the sharp object. "I just need a clean towel, please."

Without further ado, Rhodey ran up to the bar counter and opened a draw to retrieve a cloth. He threw it to Maria who quickly caught it and gave it to her.

"This will be bloody," she warned to the others before she pulled out the object from her stomach. Blood oozed out and she tried to stop it with a towel.

"Helen is right, we need to get you to the cradle, Clio," said Steve urgently but she shook her head.

"Wait for it," she murmured as she closed her eyes in concentration.

"What is she doing?" she heard Clint whispered to Natasha.

"I don't know," she heard the red-haired whispered, her voice filled with worry.

Slowly, Clio opened her eyes and grinned weakly at them before she took off the towel from her stomach. "Ta-da..."

Helen and Maria gasped while the others gaped at the clear skin on Clio's stomach where the wound was located a while ago. She forgot that only Tony, Rhodey, Bruce and Thor knew about her healing abilities.

 _'What a bunch of_ losers,' taunted the voice.

'Wow, good to hear from you AFTER the fight,' she thought back.

 _'Hey! It's not my fault! Every time your adrenaline would rush up, I will be blocked. It's your necklace!'_ it complained.

'I'm not taking it off,' she thought firmly and shut the wailing sound it produced in her head.

With Steve's support, she slowly sat up and sighed. "What now?" she whispered as she looked around the others. Her head felt light from the blood loss.

Everyone was silent, contemplating the questions.

Tony stood up. "JARVIS?"

No answer came from the AI.

Clio looked up at the ceiling as if the AI was there. She felt something heavy fall upon her. "We need to move," she said making Steve nod in agreement.

"Thor," Steve called out. "Follow the trail of the legionnaires. Everybody, let's check what it meant by extinction."

Every one in the room nodded and started working. Steve stood up and helped her on her feet gently as Helen ushered her cautiously. Tony was silent the whole time and was avoiding her look.

Natasha rounded up to them a few moments later, eyes wide and panicking. "Loki's scepter is gone!"

Thor cursed under his breath and flew out of the balcony to follow the trail.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Okay, who here watched the Endgames? I watched it yesterday and it hurts so much after the movie we went straight to the bar to drown our sorrows out with a beer.

But the movie inspired some ideas to this story. I just want to remind everybody that I may be following the MCU's timeline but the plot will be different from the story. Oh, by the way, the Maximoff twins will probably show up next chapters. Who here wants Pietro alive? Or not? Let me know what you guys think.

Oh and Peter Quill finally made an appearance in this chapter! He's one of my favorite characters in MCU.

Read and Review! Thank you so much!


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Marvel franchise.**

* * *

 **Chapter 26**

 **Playing Games**

* * *

 **Xandar**

 _She was beautiful as ever even when in distress. Her hair was matted to her forehead due to the sweat. Her lips pursed together in concentration. Her eyes the shade of a brewing storm; it roamed around frantically. Her breathing was labored; her body was alert and sharp._

 _Panic surged inside him when it occured to him that she was in the middle of a fight. Her blue dressed, not appropriate for combat, swayed with every move. He saw her try to summon energy to blast it to what looked like an Iron Suit of Tony Stark._

 _He tried to call out to her when she was thrown backward. 'Is this a dream? Or am I having a vision?' He thought as he tried to move to help her but his feet was stuck on the ground he was standing at._

 _Clio slowly stood up and shot another wave of energy to the approaching enemy. His breath hitched when another appeared behind her. It hissed something making her turn in surprise._

 _"NO!" his own voice yelled when he saw how it plunged a sharp object in her stomach._

 _A laugh echoed to the dream as he watched his most beloved punched the android away from her and staggered backward. Blood seeping from the wound and mared her beautiful dress._

 _The laugh though, it sent shiver down his spine. The same shiver he gets whenever he remembered his captor._

 _'Loki,' someone called._

 _His breathing labored as he remembered that voice._

 _'You have failed me, child.'_

 _Loki tried to block the voice in his head as he tried to cover his ears._

 _'Stop!'_

 _'-and for that you will pay dearly'_

 _'Be quiet!'_

 _'-I will take your beloved's life.'_

"No!" A yelp escaped him as he sat up straight bolting awake. He was breathing rapidly as he took in his surroundings. He was still inside the ship and Peter was looking at him funny; of course he wouldn't let him see how startled he was when he yelled.

"Nightmare's a bitch, right?" He said as Loki tried to calm himself down.

'It was only a dream. Nothing more,' he thought. 'But it felt so real.' He unconsciously fingered his necklace under his shawl. Somehow, it was unusually heavy.

"Want to talk about it-?"

"No," he quickly dismissed. He swallowed a lump in his throat as he tried to calm himself down. No, he knew nothing bad happened to her. Odin took an oath to protect her in exchange with this escapade.

With that in mind, he allowed himself to sigh. Odin may have been the worst father he ever had but one thing he knew most of his adoptive father was that he knew how to keep his promise.

"Okay," Peter replied and sighed defeatedly. "Good thing you're awake. We're here now."

Loki glanced at the front to see they are approaching a planet which he figured was Xandar.

Xandar was very much like Earth's civilization as seen from above and prosper like Asgard. But unlike Asgard, Xandar was filled with blue and green much like the planet he tried to conquer years ago.

"Here we are, Xandar," announced his companion.

The whole ride to their destination, Loki developed an intense headache due to the blabbers of the guy and the song that blasted on his speakers. Halfway through the ride, Loki almost regretted his decision to ride. In the end, he let sleep take over his mind to stop himself from doing something that would require hiding a dead body.

"I need to talk to the Broker that you mentioned," Loki informed him.

Peter glanced at him and raised his eyebrow. "What for? You're not going to steal my prize, are you?" He accused, his brows creasing at the Jotunn.

Loki sighed. "No," he answered shortly. His patience was running thin and his fingers itched to stab him to death. If he wasn't thinking, he might have done it already. "I just need to ask him a few questions."

"About that Ronan guy?" He probed. "I don't know about you but I feel this guy means bad business."

"I don't care," he answered curtly. "You will take me to him."

"Hey, just so we're clear here I'm not good at following orders," he informed him.

"You will be if you want your device to stay attached with each other."

Peter glared and pointed a finger at him. "You said I'd get you out of Morag and I'll have it back. Now you want another deal?" He asked incredulously.

"Yes."

"No deal."

"Then say goodbye to your-"

"Okay! Okay, fine!" He immediately cut off. "Jeez! I have to drop Bereet first and eat before I go to the Broker."

Loki was silent, mulling over the thought of food made his stomach growl. It's been a while since he last had something to eat that was not a ration.

"...fine."

"Alright!" He cheered as he steered his ship over to a vacant lot. "Hey, Bereet! We're here, get your ass out now!"

"Coming!"

The three of them walked out of the shop and went over to a diner that was located nearby. Loki was lucky enough to steal a few money at the last civilization he jumped into for he knew that his companion would not resort in to paying his food.

"So, why do you want to know about this Ronan guy so badly?" Peter asked with a mouthful of mush. Loki didn't grace him with answer thus only grunted in return. "Oh come on, man, there must be a story behind this one! You don't looked like the kind of guy who would blackmail someone into doing things," he complained.

Loki glanced at him, his eyes glinting with mischief at his words. Oh, how he missed those old days! "How do you know I don't blackmail someone into doing things?" He asked, voice filled cockiness.

Peter shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Well, I don't know," he muttered. "Just thought maybe you could tell your story."

Loki hummed and smirked at him. "What about you, human? Why are you in a place like this?" He asked.

"Like I have a choice," he grumbled under his breath. "I was kid-"

"-kidnapped from Earth by a Ravager named Yondu Udonta," Loki finished with a smirk at the expression of the man in front of her.

"H-hey! W-wait a minute, how did you-" he paused and then suddenly a grin appeared from his face making Loki creased his brows in confusion. "You heard about me, didn't you?! Oh, man! I knew I was famous!" He exclaimed and pumped his fist up in the air.

"What?" Loki sputtered in confusion. "No, I didn't."

Peter, still grinning from ear to ear, wiggled a finger at him. "No, don't deny it. I thought I was not making enough-"

"I read your past, you dumb idiot," Loki hissed, his face flaming with annoyance. "I can enchant spells and see your past!"

Peter's grin vanished. "What do you mean by enchant spells?" He asked suddenly curious. "I thought you were a Jotunn? Jotnar don't do magic, they just make lots of ice!"

Loki sighed and rubbed his temples. "My mother is a Vanir," he explained hoping this answer would shut him up.

"Oh," he responded. "OH! So, that's why you're skin is not blue! I heard Vanirs can do lots of magic trick, can you make this spoon disappear?" He asked with excitement.

Loki glared at him. "I will make your device disappear if you don't shut up," he threatened and that did the trick.

The three of them ate in silence. After Peter dropped the girl outside the diner, the two proceed to where the Broker was located.

An automatic door opened when Peter pressed a button. The two of them entered and behind them the door closed.

"Yo!" Greeted Peter at the alien behind the counter who was cleaning few relics on it. "Broker," he called out.

"Mr. Quill," greeted the said alien thus looked expectantly at Peter. The human grabbed something from his coat pocket which was the orb and presented it to him.

"The orb as commissioned," he said and drop the relic on the table next to the other relics.

"Where's Yondu?" he asked and glanced at Loki suspiciously who was standing next to Peter.

"Wanted to be here, really," Peter lied as he morphed his face in a more sympathetic expression that almost put Loki to shame for he was the God of Lies too. "He sends his love and told me to tell you that... you have the best eyebrows in the business."

The Broker smiled, completely swayed by the words, and nodded in return.

"I thought you work alone, Mr. Quill?" he asked, eyeing Loki next to him.

"Yeah, he's new," Peter quickly answered. "Yondu wanted me to show him how the Ravagers work."

"Hm," Broker responded but then shrugged. "Well, I'll transfer the units then. Tell Yondu-"

Loki stepped up and spoke immediately. "What is that thing?" he asked referring to the orb.

The Broker glanced at him with a brow raised as if his question was a joke. "It's my policy to never discuss my clients or their needs," he explained simply.

Peter, also curious about it, spoke. "Well, we almost died getting it for you, you know."

He stared at them with fake sympathy and sighed. "Oh, an occupational hazard, I'm sure in your line of work," responded Broker.

"Well, some machine headed freak working for a dude named Ronan-"

Broker who was looking uninterested a while ago glanced up in surprise at the mention of the name.

"Ronan?" he repeated; Loki noted the sudden change of his mood from bored to fearful. "I'm sorry, . I truly am. But I want no part of this transaction if Ronan is involved!" he cried surprising the two gentlemen as Broker gave back the orb and tried to push them to the exit.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Peter exclaimed and stand his ground.

Loki pushed away the Broker's hand and summoned a knife. "Tell me who is Ronan," he threatened and pointed the knife at Broker's neck.

"Hey, Kil, chill out, man," Peter interjected as he tried to push Loki's hand down but to no avail. He turned to the Broker, "Answer his question now."

"Ronan is a Kree-fanatic, outraged by the peace treaty who will not rest until Xandarian culture, my culture, is wiped from existence!" he explained frantically as he tried to push back the knife. "He's someone who's bad side I'd rather not be on!"

"W-What about our bad side?!" Peter tried to threatened.

"You're not making any sense," Loki growled and kicked the Broker on the chest sending him backwards.

"Whoa!" Peter exclaimed.

"Why don't we talk over some cup of tea, shall we?" Loki suggested but there was an underlying threat in his words; his eyes shining bright red instead of green that Broker gulped in response and nodded.

In the end, the two men sipped some tea while Broker was left tied in a chair cowering from the two who was glaring at him.

"Who is your client?" asked Loki calmly, his eyes were still bright red for intimidation. Quill was silent the whole ordeal as to not cross with his companion.

Broker gulped and shivered nervously. Quill he could take but the new guy was something else. His aura was sinisterly dark almost in comparison to Ronan.

"I-I t-told you, I-I'm not supposed to b-be talking a-about-" a yelp escaped his lips when a knife whizzed past his ear grazing it just slightly.

"Fun facts about me," Loki begans twirling a knife between his fingers. "I have a bad obsession with knives."

"No wonder they keep coming out of nowhere," Quill commented before he took a bite from his bread.

"Another fact is, I don't miss my target," Loki added as he threw the knife again this time embedding in between Broker's feet.

Quill gave out a snort of some kind that turned into a coughing mess when crumbs of biscuit was stuck in his throat.

"Lastly, I don't do mercy," Loki added again and then threw two knives this time hitting both the Broker's feet.

Screech of pain echoed throughout the room while Quill gave out a disproving gasp.

"Come on, man, is that necessary? That's too gory," he complained to which fell on deaf ears.

Loki produced another set of knives and this time Broker shook his head in fear. "Okay, okay! It's Taneleer Tivan," he sprouted. "My buyer's name is Taneleer Tivan."

Loki tensed while as Quill's brows creased.

"Tan-what?" He asked turning to Loki who was frozen in surprise.

Broker sighed in defeat. "H-he is also known as the-"

"Collector," Loki finished.

* * *

 **Earth**

Clio typed furiously on her computer, her heart racing with dread. No matter how much she tried to retrieve her files, it always came back empty.

She sagged back on her seat as she stared at her screen dumbfounded. All her hard work was gone just like that.

The others were outside trying to retrieve the lost files and clearing out the area from the destroyed Legionnaires.

There wasn't much she can do about it now. With a defeated sigh, she walked back out of her office and joined the others.

She sat with Helen and Maria as they check each computer system in the room. Tony was staring blankly at one of his Iron Suit on the table, the one she blasted off to pieces. His face void with any emotions as his mind wandered somewhere far away from them. She debated whether to talk to him or not but she also got a problem on her own so she stayed put.

Bruce, on the other hand, was trying to locate his files in his computer, his brows were creasing.

Natasha tried to access the internet but to no avail. They've been doing the same thing for a whole ten minutes before Bruce broke it up.

"All our work is gone," he acknowledged glancing at Clio who looked crestfallen too. "Ultron cleared everything and used the internet as his escape route."

"Ultron," muttered Steve and then hung his head low.

"He's been in everything," piped Natasha as she straightened from hunching over the computer. "Files, surveillance, probably knows more about us than we know each other."

"He's in your files, he's in the internet," Rhodey said as he walked forward. "What if he decides to access something a little more... exciting?"

"Nuclear code," realized Maria, gaping at the soldier.

"Look, we need to make some calls assuming we still can," suggested Rhodey.

"Nukes, he said he wanted us dead," Natasha said.

"He didn't say 'dead', he said 'extinct'," Steve corrected, his brows creased.

"I don't see any difference," Clio said as she stood up. "He wants our extinction or the whole human race's extinction. Either way, we'd be dead if we don't figure out what he's up to."

Clint took a step forward. "He also said he killed somebody," he said.

"There weren't any other person in the tower except for us," Maria said with a confused look.

Tony sighed making everyone turn to him. "There's one," he muttered finally as he tapped his holographic phone in the air.

A gasp came out of Clio's lip at the sight of a scattered holographic image of what supposedly be J.A.R.V.I.S.

Bruce, eyes widened, walked slowly over the image. A look of horror was on his face and so did the others while Tony looked away painfully at the sight.

Clio was overcome with grief at the sight of her beloved AI who she had been with since she was a kid. She couldn't imagine the feelings Tony was experiencing right now. It must have been more painful to her father who he considered the AI his first family after his parents died.

"This is insane," muttered Bruce.

"J.A.R.V.I.S. was the first line of defence," Steve spoke up. "He would have shut Ultron down. It makes sense."

"No," contradicted Bruce. "Ultron could have assimilated J.A.R.V.I.S. quickly. But this," he said pertaining to the image. "This isn't strategy. This is rage."

There was heaviness that weighed down on everybody in the room as the words sink in slowly in their head.

A heavy footsteps echoed the silence and they turned around to find Thor just in time for him to grab Tony by the neck and lift him up to the air making Clio gasped in surprise and the others spring on their feet.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Rogers exclaimed stepping up but Thor had him already in the air.

"It's going to come around," commented Clint as he watched the others watch the scene warily.

"Come on, use your words, buddy," provoked Stark as he clutched the God's hand.

"I have more than enough words to describe you, Stark," threatened Thor; eyes glaring at the man he held.

Clio, body on defense automatically, quickly grabbed Thor's arm. "Let go," she demanded in an equally dangerous voice. Her eyes turning a shade darker almost black as she glared at her friend.

Steve put a hand on her shoulder and the other in front of Thor; whether it was for the God's safety or for the Xhylorian, he wouldn't know. "Thor," he called out before anything happens. "Report on the legionnaire."

Thor, having no desire to have a fight with his most trusted friend, let go of her father as he heaved an angry sigh.

Tony groaned and slumped on the floor while Clio quickly tend to his aid.

"I'm fine," he muttered as she helped him up.

"Trail went cold about a hundred miles out. But it's headed north," he reported then glared back at Tony. "And he has the scepter. Now we have to retrieve it back. Again."

"The genie's out of that bottle," spoke Natasha with her arms folded across her chest. "Clear and present is Ultron."

"I don't understand," began Helen and glanced at them with confusion. "You built this program. Why is he trying to kill us?"

Tony slowly entangled himself out of Clio's hands and ruffled her hair with a smile.

Clio's brows creased further when his smiles turned to a low chuckle.

"This isn't the time to be laughing," she pointed out and pushed away his hand. Bruce, who was beside them, shook his head at him trying to warn him of something.

"You think this is funny?" asked Thor with calm rage.

Tony turned to him and shook his head but his smile was still intact. "No," he answered. "It's probably not, right?" he asked turning to the others.

"Dad," she called him out but was ignored.

"This is very terrible. Is it so..." he continued then corrected himself before giving out a short laugh. "Is it so... it is. It's so terrible."

"This could've been avoided if you hadn't played with something you don't understand," snarled Thor and stepped up but stopped when Clio raised her hand. "Try and protect him as you like, Clio but what I say is true, is it not?"

Clio heaved a sigh but didn't lower her hand. Her head turned when a hand grabbed hers and lowered it down.

"I'm sorry," Tony began still grinning as he held back his daughter's hand. "It is funny. It's hoot that you don't get why we need this," he added as he stood up in front of Thor who was staring at him with dagger eyes.

"Tony, maybe this isn't the time," Bruce called out, acting nervous all of the sudden.

Everybody turned to the doctor, visibly surprise that he knew about this.

"Really?" Tony said aghast at him. "That's it? You just roll over, show your belly every time somebody snarls?"

"Only when I've created a murder bot," answered Bruce.

"We didn't," insisted Tony his eyes now glaring at the doctor. "We weren't even close. Were we close to an interface? We called it off when we couldn't."

"Well, you did something right. And you did it right here," answered Steve. "The Avengers were supposed to be different from SHIELD."

Tony whirled around to face Steve. "Any body remembered how I carried the nukes through the wormhole," he said.

"No, it's never come up," Rhodey muttered.

"-saved New York?" Continued Tony.

"-never heard that."

"-recalled that?" He looked at everyone in the eyes; challenging them to speak up. "A hostile alien army came charging through a hole in space. And we're standing 300 feet below it!"

Clio gave out a sharp intake of breath. "But, dad, I thought that-"

"What about her, huh?" He asked then glanced at everyone as he pointed a finger at Clio. "My daughter faced the dark elves! She fought the Chitauri in the Battle of New York. If... If something... If something happened to her I wouldn't..."

Clio instantly felt the guilt ripped inside her chest as realization dawned on her.

Tony sighed, calming himself down. "Hundreds of people died at the Battle of New York. We don't even have a first line of defence against those creatures. How do we plan to defeat them?"

"Together," answered Steve without second thought.

Tony take a step forward to Rogers. "We'll lose," he warned.

Steve didn't even bat an eye at him as he answered, "Then we'll do that together, too."

There was a dead silence in the room as the two men regarded each other before Tony finally looked away.

"Thor is right," continued Steve as he walked around the room. "Ultron is calling us out. Now, I want to know where he is before he's ready for us. The world is a big place. We'll start by making it smaller."

He, then, began instructing everyone in the room and get the job done. Clio, on the other hand, walked over to Tony who was suddenly silent.

He turned to her cautiously when he felt her presence. "I'm sorry," he whispered as he put an arm around her shoulder to hug her and kissed her temples.

Clio nodded. "I understand why you did this," she said. "And I'm sorry, too, for making you worry most of the time."

Tony nodded his head and caressed her hair. "Not your fault, Sugarplum," he said.

"But Steve is right," she said and grabbed his hands to hers. "We need to do this together. It's not your fight alone, dad."

Tony sighed before nodding his head. "Okay," he answered before giving a genuine and determined smile. "Let's finish this together, then."

* * *

 **Xandar**

Peter walked out of the building, grumbling under his breath. .

Loki told him to wait for him outside as he untied Broker and cast a spell in his memories.

The orb still lay heavy inside his coat. They couldn't just leave it to Broker. The fact that he didn't get the units he needed made him curse out loud.

"What happened?" A voice asked.

Peter quickly turned to face the voice and was startled to see a beautiful woman whose skin was green and was eating a fruit as she leaned casually on the wall. He couldn't help but gape at the green beauty in front of him. After all, he's still a guy.

Clearing his throat to try to save some dignity. "Ah, this guy just backed out a deal on me," he explained as he tried to look and sound cool. "If there's one thing I hate, it's a man without integrity."

A smirk appeared on his lips as he took a step forward. "Peter Quill, by the way. People call me Star-Lord," he introduced.

The lady, unfazed by this, regarded him slowly. "You have the bearing of a man with honor," she commented.

Quill was easily flattered by this as he unconsciously grab the orb that he was touching in his coat pocket and twirled it in his fingers. He did miss the glint in the lady's eyes at the prize, though.

"Well, you know I wouldn't say that," he said as he threw the ball up and catching it in his palm. Something he'd do when he's nervous.

There was a shuffling inside signaling for Loki's exit. As he opened his mouth to speak again, he was kicked back on his stomach as the lady, now with the orb, ran away.

"What happened?" Asked Loki, alarmed when he saw that the orb was gone.

"Shit," Quill cursed as he grabbed one of his rope device and threw it forcefully at the lady. The device tangled around the lady's feet throwing her off balance.

Quill and Loki instantly on their feet running for the orb.

"I'm gone for a moment and now you got the orb stolen?" Loki growled and dodged the lady's foot that was now free but he didn't see her fist coming in contact with his shin making him fall down. "Feisty, aren't we?" He commented as he tried to give Quill enough time to get the orb.

The lady, knowing what he was planning, grabbed one of his hand and twisted it making him yelp and drop the knife he was carrying.

She grabbed the knife and threw it at Quill's hand who was about to pick the orb. He instantly retracted his hand and faced the lady.

"Oh come on, woman!" He growled but suddenly his eyes widened when the woman came barreling towards him.

They instantly went on hand-to-hand combat as Loki stood up still grimacing from the pain on his arm. His shoulder might've dislocated from its socket which was a rare occurrence. This lady was something else if she could do that to a God.

"Hey, Kil! The orb!" Quill warned and the lady's eyes widened in shock when Loki dove for the orb.

She tried to fend him off with her legs and with Loki's other arm dislocated, she managed to fight both men equally.

Suddenly, out of nowhere as she was about to deliver a final blow to the man named Peter, something was thrown at her head and clawed on her hair blocking her view.

"Get him, Groot!" A raccoon on the lady's head suddenly ordered a walking tree carrying a sack.

But instead of any of the men, the one named Groot extended its limbs towards the female who was still struggling from the raccoon.

"No! Not her! Him!" Pointed the raccoon at Quill. "Learn genders, man!"

Loki instantly grab the orb and kicked Quill up and the two were quickly running away from the scene.

A screech was heard behind them and they knew instantly that the lady got out. What they didn't expect was a knife passed through at Loki's hand grazing it slightly making him drop the orb and it rolled away.

Quill stopped and tried to grab the orb before it falls down further to the other floor but was too late.

The lady jumped down and grabbed the orb and ran.

Loki, too, jumped down and pursued the woman. Quill, still up above, ran over and then jumped down as the woman passed by. They both fell to the ground with the lady underneath. But the lady twisted them so she was on top.

"Fool, you should have learned," she mocked.

"I don't learn," he answered as Loki appeared behind the unaware lady as he put something behind her. "It's one of my issues."

The lady's eyes widened as Loki snatched the orb from her hand. She tried to snatch it back but Quill pushed a button that sent her flying.

"Man," he said with a sigh as Loki helped him up. "That was tough."

"We need to get out of here, quickly," as soon as those words left his mouth, his body suddenly shook.

"Hey!" Quill called as he dropped to the ground. Behind him was the raccoon from earlier.

"Surprise!" It said before a sack fall upon him.

"What the-" a scream erupted from the sack as he flailed his arms trying to get out but was not able.

"Quit smiling like an idiot, Groot. You're supposed to be a professional."

"I am groot," answered the tree as he touch the other guy with his foot.

"Leave him. We only need the other guy," answered the Raccoon but when he turned around he sighed in exasperation as the lady from before appeared in front of him. "You've got to be kidding me."

He was tossed aside when she walked over to the tree and amputated its arm with her sword earning a gasp from the crowd who grew thick from the commotion.

The sack fell from its grip and the lady opened the bag. Her eyes widened when Quill emerged with a gun pointing at her.

He pulled the trigger and she was instantly electrocuted. He quickly got out of the sack and ran towards Kil. He pocketed the orb before he slung Kil's arm around his shoulder. But before he took a step, a shock ran through his body dropping his Jotunn companion and afterwards dropping next to him, too.

Darkness soon seeped in his consciousness as he clutch the orb in his coat.

"Jackpot," he heard a voice said behind him before everything went blank.

* * *

Author's Note: Hey guys! Here's the new update! I hope you like this one!

Oh, by the way, this is the point where I'm going to change a little bit of the timeline of the MCU. Anyways, it's a fanfiction. So no need to point out things like I'm not following the correct plot or timeline. I'm the author of this fanfiction so I get to play with the rules.

Does anybody here misses Clio and Loki together? Should I include a third party? hmm?


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Marvel Franchise.**

* * *

 **Chapter 27**

 **Dream**

* * *

 **Earth**

"You're too stubborn," commented Tony when he walked inside the room and saw her daughter still sitting in front of the computer helping out Natasha.

"Learned from you," she replied not tearing her eyes away from the screen.

They began a heated argument a while ago about staying out of this mess and follow Pepper in Seattle. But of course, she was her father's daughter. What do he expect? In the end, when Bruce called him for help, ordered Maria to take her off and said he didn't want to see her here when he comes back.

"And besides, what happened with 'let's finish this together'?" She questioned and raised a brow at him.

"It means you stay out of trouble while we finish this," he rebuffed then sighed defeatedly. "What am I going to do with you?" He asked more to himself.

She and Natasha shared a look and snickered to themselves. The redhaired ended the call with Rhodey as Clio continued to see if they can access basic information.

"Ultron did a lot of work," she muttered as she click her tongue.

"He didn't want to save us some trouble that's for sure," Natasha commented and sighed. "Rhodey said every country with a nuke is facing a cyber attack. War machine is being deployed to the Middle East in case certain people start blaming each other."

"How do we even fight this thing? It's like fighting a ghost," commented Clio. "He's all over the globe."

Tony walked over to them with a disk on hand. "Clio, send a message to Rhodey and tell him I'll be sending a new encryption disk of his suit in case Ultron won," he ordered.

"Got it," she answered and she did as she was told.

Steve walked inside the room with a grim expression holding a tablet.

"What's up?" She asked the Captain. "Got something for us?"

"In fact, I do," answered Steve as the others rounded up around the soldier.

Steve gave the tablet he was holding to Thor who looked it up. The crease on his forehead doubles as he studied the content.

"What is it?" Asked as Natasha as Thor slammed the tablet on Tony's chest.

"A message," answered Steve with a sigh. "Ultron killed Strucker."

Tony showed the tablet to the two ladied and to Banner. It showed an image of Strucker dead on his cell bed and on the wall written the word 'Peace'.

"And he did a Banksy at the crime scene," Tony muttered. "Just for us."

Clio saw the crease on Steve's forehead as the reference got him confused.

"This is... good," muttered Natasha as she stared at the picture.

"No... Not good," Bruce disagreed, shaking his head. A frown was visible on his face as he stared at the amazement in Natasha's face.

Clio, for one, was also confused as to why the former agent was complimenting the enemy's work.

"No, I mean why did Ultron have to send a message after his last speech?" Asked the redhaired avenger trying to clear up the misunderstanding.

Everyone in the room was silent at the question.

"Do you think this Strucker guy knew something that we don't?" Asked Clio, breaking the ice, as she looked around the room. "I mean it somehow make sense. Kill the guy and shut him up forever."

"That's possible," agreed Steve as he pursed his lips. "Ultron knew something that he wanted us to miss."

Natasha, who began typing at the computer, let out a defeated sigh. "Yep, everything we had on Strucker's been erased."

"Not all of them."

Barton brought out all hard copies of the data of Von Strucker. They started looking up clues and hints as to what Ultron know. It had been an hour now since they began and they were not even moving forward.

"No associates," Steve muttered as he neatly compile the others to a desk. "Von Strucker does have a lot of friends."

Clio's eyes widened and retracted her body from bending when a folder flew past just inches from her head. She turned towards Thor who was looking over the new box of papers and throwing everything out. A sigh escape her lips as she picked up every single one of the paper.

"Thor," she called out with an exaggerated look.

Her friend turned around in confusion but was replaced of realization and smiled sheepishly. Clio could only shake her head.

"These people are all horrible," said Bruce as he looked at the papers in his hand.

"Wait," Tony instructed when Bruce was about to put them down. "I know that guy."

Bruce passed the paper to Tony as he surveyed the data in front. "Back in the day, he operates off the African coast black market arms."

Steve glanced at him with a scandalous look that also mirrored Clio's.

"And you know this because...?" She prompted earning a roll in the eyes.

"There are conventions, all right," he explained to them in an exasperated tone. "I didn't sell him anything, if that's what you want to ask."

"He was talking about something new; a game changer," continued Tony after a while.

"What about this?" Thor pointed out to the picture.

"Uh, tattoos," answered Tony.

"No," Thor said and pointed another. "This is a tattoo. This, however, is a brand."

Clio looked up to where they were looking at and for sure they were a mark on the guy's neck that did not looked like a tattoo.

"It looked like it's engraved," she muttered as she studied the picture well.

Banner, who was now facing the computer, clicked his tongue. "Well, that's true. It's a word in African dialect meaning 'Thief' in a much less friendly way," he explained.

"What dialect?" Asked Steve.

"W-Wakanada?" Bruce pronounced then looked back at the computer, squinting his eyes. "W-Wa... Wa... Wakanda," he corrected.

It was the first time Clio hear this dialect and for sure it was something big since it put the others into a heavy silence. From her peripheral view, she saw Steve and Tony looked at each other, alarmed.

"This guy got out of Wakanda and some of their trade goods," muttered Tony, both his and Steve's forehead were creased in confusion.

"I thought your father said he got the last of it?" Steve asked back.

The others glanced at the two men at Steve's last statement.

"Wait, I don't follow," Bruce said, standing up and approached the two. "What comes out of Wakanda?" He asked.

Tony had a grim expression and so did Steve as he looked behind him and stared at his shield.

"The strongest metal on Earth," answered Tony grimly, realization dawning on him every second.

Steve stared back at Tony, his face hard. "Where is this guy, again?"

* * *

 **Xandar**

Loki slowly gained consciousness and bit back a groan when pain from his dislocated shoulder erupted to his senses.

"Glad you're awake," commented Quill when he turned around to face them. "We're about to be identified by the Nova Corps."

Loki's eyes widened and any traces of sleepiness in his system suddenly vanished at Quill's statement. "What?" He spluttered as he glanced around.

True enough, they were in the middle of an interrogation room with the green lady being identified.

Wait, he needed to get out of this planet. The last thing he wanted was to be identified.

"You can't get out of here, man," Peter piped up as if he could read minds. "I tried," he added as he stood up.

 _"Gamora,"_ a voice from the speaker reverberated in the room.

Loki's brows creased. _Gamora?_ Where did he have heard of that name again?

 _"Surgically modified and trained as a living weapon. The adopted daughter of the mad titan, Thanos."_

At the name, Loki gasped as his eyes widened. Of course! She was the most favored of all children of Thanos... a sense of dread washed over him at the name. She was connected to Thanos.

 _"Recently, he lent her and her sister Nebula to Ronan, which lead us to believe that Thanos and Ronan are working together."_

"Yo, are you okay? You seemed to be shaken?" Quill interrupted and Loki could only nod in return.

No wonder she can give him much damage. She was trained by that creature. She was adopted by that monster. Loki's teeth gritted with each other. His fist clenched at the thought.

"What happened to the orb?" he asked as he watched the green lady go down from the platform and was replaced by the creature who attacked her.

"They took it," Quill answered and sighed. "Must be worth a lot if we're all looking for it."

Loki didn't answer as he watched Quill be dragged in to platform to be identified. His heart was pounding to the new problem ahead. Can he be identified? Was Asgard even in the system?

A few moments later, he was being dragged inside the platform too. He couldn't see what was ahead as it was only a black mirror but he knew behind it were their captors.

His eyes squinted when a light shone his eyes.

 _"There are no saved data of this man before,"_ the voice reverberated making Loki sighed in relief and thanked his adoptive father silently. He must've pulled some strings. _"Oh wait, there is."_

Loki drew a sharp intake of breath. _"Loki Laufeyson,"_ it said making Loki tensed.

He could feel the eyes of the others at him but he ignored it.

 _"A former prince of Asgard and the current prince of Jotunheim. He is an ally of the mad titan, Thanos which meant him and the lady, Gamora, are connected to Ronan."_

"I am not his ally," he gritted as he clenched his fist.

He didn't know what pained him the most though. Was it the part were they called him the 'former' prince of Asgard or the 'current' prince of Jotunheim. A part of him still didn't want to believe that he was, in fact, related to Laufey. He tried his best to forget the qualms he had with his adoptive father and live the rest of his stay in Asgard pretending to be the true son. Of course he wanted to prove to him that he can change and when he did, he'd go back to the woman he loved the most in Midgard. Yet here he was, standing in front of the Nova Corps being treated as a criminal.

 _"Trasport all five of them to the Kyln."_

* * *

"I guess most of the Nova Corps want to uphold the law," blabbered the raccoon in front of him as they were guided along the halls. "But these ones here are corrupt and cruel! But, hey," he gave off a chuckle. "It's not my problem. I ain't going to be here long. I've escaped 22 prisons and this one's no different!"

"Man, I never thought you were a prince!" Quill stated still in disbelief as he stared at the fallen prince who was trying his best to ignore him. "I mean, that was a little bit hurtful since I thought we're both getting along well but you could have told me!"

Loki pursed his lips as he glared in front, trying to stop himself from making any retorts.

"A run away prince, perhaps?" mocked the creature named Rocket. "You're worth much then than this idiot over here if that's the case."

"Who're you calling an idiot?" exclaimed Quill.

"I am Groot," answered the walking tree.

"Again, I don't care," gritted Quill as he looked at Gamora. "So, this Orb has a real shiny blue suitcase, Ark of the Covenant, Maltese Falcon sort of vibe. What is it?"

"I am Groot."

"Could you stop saying that!"

"It's his language," answered Loki, finally speaking for the first time since they arrived Kyln. "He said he also wanted to know."

"You understand Groot?" asked Rocket in disbelief.

"I am blessed with multi-language tongue growing up," he explained then he turned, too, to Gamora. "What's the Orb?"

"I have no words to a failure like you," Gamora retorted, finally speaking up. She was clearly referring to the fact that Loki failed her father at getting the tesseract and the mind stone to him.

"You're the one to talk. I think you don't see where you are, right now. Or do you have your own vocabulary of the word 'Failure'," retorted Loki back. He was getting irritated with the whole situation and if Quill doesn't his blabbering with the tree, he'd end up killing them all.

"Yeah, pretty high and mighty coming from the lackey of a genocidal maniac," Rocket retorted back too earning a snarl from the green lady. "Yeah, I know who you are. Anyone who's anyone knows who you are."

He could see Gamora's shoulder tensed up at the cybernetic animal's statement.

"Yeah, we know who you are!" Peter piped up trying to sound confident but failed. He then nudged Loki on the shoulder and whispered, "Do you know who she is?"

Loki smirked at the uneasiness aura swirling around the lady. "Of course," he answered confidently. "Oh, I have heard of you before. You're quite popular around the galaxies for being the most favored daughter of the mad titan," he said, addressing Gamora.

The lady didn't speak nor shown any signs of answering their questions but the tension around her doubled.

"What was it like to be favored by him?" He asked again this time eliciting a reaction for she turned and glared at him.

"Does being favored something you lack that you actually have to ask someone else how it feels?" She snapped making Loki glare at her too but quickly hide it.

"Oh, actually it is," he said coolly; masking his face with a neutral expression. "What would your **father** say if he heard about your failure? Must've been a slap for him?"

" **He** is **not** my father," she gritted then turned back to the hallway they were walking on. Loki opened his mouth to retaliate when she spoke again. "I wasn't retrieving the orb to Ronan."

He and Quill shared a look at the statement.

"I was betraying him," she added. "I have an agreement with another party."

"You never answered the question," Quill voiced out.

"I am groot," said the talking tree.

"Seriously, man. You're driving me nuts," Quill said exasperatedly as they rounded the corner.

Loki wanted to have a peace and quiet for a moment but that all went down to the drain when Quill saw his device being used by one of the guards.

"Hey!" He called and walked towards the guy before the grills closed.

Loki sighed as they watched his companion tried to tell the guard off. He cringed slightly when the guards grabbed its staff and zapped him off.

Quill went down on his knees as he blabbered something back; voice desperate and angry. Not until he was zapped off again did he fell down on the ground. If Loki's hands weren't handcuffed, his palm would be facing his face.

 **~0~**

He was seething, that's for sure. First, he was stripped off his garments. Second, he was forcibly showered with hot, orange water. Third, he had to wear prison clothes. If he was given a choice, he'd rather be imprisoned to Asgard. He was a prince! He was a prince of two kingdom! And yet he was being treated like a trash.

He gritted his teeth as he and Quill and the talking cybernetic animal sat their waiting for their other companion. No one dared try to stark up a conversation so they wait in silence.

When they were finally complete, they were again forced to walk to what seemed to be the lobby filled with prisoners. Everything was going well, again, and Loki prayed silently that it will last but then, **again** , went down the drain as the other prisoners started throwing foods at them while the others shout in anguish. He thought this must be the way they greeted the new prisoners until he noticed everyone was staring only at Gamora.

"Like I said," Rocket piped up as they continued forward. "Everyone here has either got their families killed by Ronan or the Mad Titan. So, either way, lady, you'll have a tough luck surviving for a day," he said to Gamora whose face was void of any emotions but her eyes showed fear.

"But..." started Quill as he stared at the animal. "The guards will protect her right?"

Rocket could only shrugged his shoulders in return. Peter sighed and started to walk again when he almost bumped into a big blue prisoner.

"Well, well, look what we have here," it talked with its big, gruff voice as he caressed Quill's face. "Another meat, perhaps? Are you tasty?"

Loki opened his mouth to speak when another one grabbed him by the arm. "Look! We have a new girly here!" Its shrilled voice echoed the room eliciting a laughter from the others. "Come join us, girly and we'll show you a good time. If you know what I mean."

He glared daggers at him and another moment passed until the prisoner holding him screamed in pain. He looked at his hand that was suddenly full of blisters and then looked at Loki's arm whose blue skin starting just fade away.

"Touch me and call me 'girly' again, I dare you. That's not the only thing that will happen to you if you do," Loki seethed as the prisoner backed away from him in fear.

Another scream echoed the area as Groot grabbed the one making fun of Quill by the nose.

"Okay, listen up! Let's make one thing clear here," Rocket commanded in a high voice making the others turn to look at them. "This one here is our booty!" He said addressing to Quill and Gamora. "Now, if you want them, you'll go through us! Or we'll go through you," his last statement was filled with threat that rendered everyone in the room speechless.

Without waiting for their reply, Loki walked away irritated.

He sat on his prison cell as he watched the others enter. Gamora, on the other hand, was in another room next to them.

"Tough day, huh?" Said Quill as he sat opposite to where Loki was sitting. "So what really is your name?"

"Kil," Loki answered still.

"Cut that bullshit, man. The nova corps identified you as Loki Laufeyson," Quill said exasperatedly.

"I don't want to be called by my name," he warned. "Nor do I want to hear it."

"So you are a runaway prince," piped Rocket. "What's the story? Oh wait, let me guess. You have an older brother who was much more favored than you and you end up running away from home? Or you have someone you love so much but end up picking your brother over you?"

The statement hit home and Loki sprang up to his feet and if it weren't for Quill who quickly held him back, he would have strangled the raccoon.

"You don't know anything about me or why I'm here!" He gritted as he pushed Quill away from him.

"Yeah, whatever, man," answered Rocket as he sat back on his sleeping mat. "Either way, you're stuck with us," he said in a bored voice.

Loki sighed a deep breath as he sat back down again. He leaned his head on the wall and closed his eyes. The sound of the other prisoners laughing over something made it hard for him to rest and to think.

On the opposite side of the room, he can hear the snores of his companions signalling they were fast asleep. He sighed, giving up sleep but didn't dare open his eyes. His body needed to rest anyway.

Laughter echoed around the area again. Usually he'd try to ignore it but this particular laughter was light and airy and full of life. It didn't came from one person, too. There were two people laughing. Then he realized it was a children's laughter.

His eyes quickly snapped open in surprise. Instead of the usual dark colored wall of prison, he was greeted by a stark white that almost blinded him. His eyes roamed around the surrounding in disbelief. He was back in his room in Asgard! How was that possible? Could Heimdall teleported him back? Was there trouble?

He quickly stood up from where he was sitting when the sound of laughter grew louder. Rushed light footsteps echoed outside his door and his body instantly prepared himself from an attack.

When his door opened, his eyes grew wider as two children - a boy and a girl - entered the room. Mirth was visible on their faces as they laughed at something; the sound of their tingling voices made his tensed muscles relax.

The little girl's eyes widened with joy at the sight of him. Loki noticed how green her eyes were. Her hair, though, was pitch black and what's bothering him was how similar she looked like him when he was a kid.

"Raven! Daddy is back!" She exclaimed joyously making Loki intake a sharp breath.

The boy named Raven glanced at him and his smile widened.

The boy's look caught him off guard. He had the same black hair as with the little girl but what shock him the most were his eyes. His eyes were wide and curious and it was in the same shade as the one he always loved: stormy gray.

He was still in shock as the two cheered and jumped on him making him sit back on the bed with the two on his lap.

"Daddy! Uncle Thor taught me how to use a sword!" The little boy named Raven exclaimed. "Eirwen tried to do it too but cut her fingers."

Loki was at loss for words and all he could do was stare at the two children that was hovering at him. That's when he realized they were twins.

The little girl pouted and showed her bandaged finger. "It hurts," she said but then her eyes twinkled with joy. "But don't worry, Daddy. Mommy healed it!"

"M-Mommy?" He muttered, confused.

He was so shocked and engrossed at the two children on his lap that he didn't notice someone leaning over the doorframe with a wide grin.

"Grandma and mommy taught me how to use magic!" The little girl named Eirwen blabbered. "They said you're the best magic user here! Can you teach me, daddy?" She asked, eyes hopeful.

Loki opened his mouth to answer when a chuckle -a very familiar one- was heard. His eyes instantly look up at the person just for it to widen more if that was possible. His heart lurched in his throat at the sight of the woman he loved the most in the whole universe.

"Now, kids, your dad just got home and now you're bothering him again," she reprimanded; voice light with amusement when the kids' faces fell.

A dream.

He was having a dream. His heart sank in disappointment.

"Come on, now, Grandma prepared some snacks," she said and ushered the kids out.

The kids cheered and ran outside.

"Careful!" Warned Clio then turned back to him. "What? Are you just going to stare at me all day or are you going to join us?"

Loki sprang up to his feet and dove for her. He gathered her up in his arms. He knew this was a dream and he'll take advantage to it as he grabbed her face and kissed her fully in the lips. It felt so real yet he knew it wasn't.

"I missed you," he whispered. He could literally feel his eyes watering. "I missed you. Gods, I do," he said between kisses which his lady responded with much fervor.

"I missed you too," she whispered when they parted for air. She caressed his face. "Don't leave us again, Loki."

Loki could only stare at her sadly and he hugged her again this time. "Clio, you have my heart. I'm yours forever," he promised.

"Welcome back home," she greeted with a smile that was so achingly familiar.

His smile wavered when the image of her slowly vanished. "Clio?" He called out, panicking.

"Hey," she answered. "I'm here," she said but her voice was fading.

"Loki," she called out but he couldn't see her.

"Clio!"

"Loki."

"Loki."

Slap.

Pain sprung up on his cheek as he sat up in surprise, cheek on hand. He turned around and saw Groot hovering at him.

"What?" He hissed as he glared at him.

The tree pointed something out and to his horror, Quill and Rocket's sleeping mats were empty. He quickly got up on his feet to look for them. Which he didn't understand. Why would he care what happened to them?

 _'I escaped 22 prisons.'_

The statement echoed in his head and sighed in defeat. He needs to get out of here anyway. And with that, he followed the two.

 **~0~**

Her eyes fluttered open and she sighed when she realized she fell asleep on her computer.

 _'It was too good to be true, anyway,'_ she thought as she sat up. The feel of Loki's lips still hovered over her own.

 _'I'm yours forever.'_

"Oh, you're awake," piped Maria when she entered the room.

"Where are the others?" She asked, confused as she stood up.

"They just left for Wakanda," answered Maria.

"What?!" She exclaimed. "Why didn't they woke me up?"

"Well, your father wants you to go to Seoul and wait for them there in Dr. Cho's lab just in case some of them got injured again," the black haired former agent said. "I've informed the doctor already and prepared the jet. You should leave in an hour or so, okay?"

Clio could only sighed in defeat and nod in return. "Thanks, Maria," she responded.

"It seemed you had a nice dream," she said with a smile. "You were smiling while you were sleeping when I checked up on you."

Clio blushed but smiled sadly. "Yeah, it was too good and too nice to be true," she answered.

* * *

 **A/N** : Thank you for reading! I hoped you like the Clio/Loki scene. I just missed reading them together so I put the dream there... or is it a Vision? Either way, let me know what you think!

Oh and by the way, I might be slow in updating the story than the usual cause I just started a job last week and it was so tiring that I never have time to write this chapter. But hey, I'm trying.

Anyways, this story only have ten more chapters or is it twelve? Either way, the story will end up before 2019 ends... I hope.


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Marvel Franchise.**

* * *

 **Chapter 28**

 **Scarlet Vs.** **Obsidian**

* * *

Clio took a deep breath as the quinjet she was on landed gently on the helipad in U-Gin Genetics Infinite where Helen Cho was working as the leader of the Research Group. She tried calling the said doctor but it always goes through her voice mail.

'She must be busy working again,' she thought and shrugged her shoulders. This must be the reason why she and the doctor get along well. Well, she got this trait from her father who can be addicted to his own works sometimes.

Speaking of her father, she hasn't heard anything from Tony and the others since they left and it's been five hours since then. She wondered how they were doing. Irritation again blossomed inside her chest when she remembered that they left without informing her. She felt so useless. The world was on balance and yet she couldn't do anything. She wanted to help but how can she when her father was the one preventing her from doing anything?

'If Loki were here...' she stopped mid-thought as the familiar pain sprung inside her chest. Then again, if Loki were here he'd try to stop her from doing something reckless but end up failing anyway. A bitter smile appeared her lips. The dream she had this morning was the reason why part of her regretted ever waking up. She knew it's unfair to think like that or to even feel like that but if she were given the chance to never wake up again just to be with Loki, she'd grab it.

Slowly, her smile faded as soon as she stepped outside the quinjet. The hair at the back of her neck rose suddenly. Something wasn't right here. She grabbed her phone and tried to dial the doctor's number again but it went towards her voicemail again.

'Something is wrong here, I can feel it,' the voice warned her.

'I know, I can feel it too,' she replied. 'Can I scan what's inside the building?'

'Of course.'

'Okay. How?'

A laugh echoed inside her head. 'You're the one who did it on your own. It's not part of my powers.'

A sigh escaped her lips. 'What do you mean by its not part of your powers? You mean I did it on my own?'

'Yes. Figure it out on your own.'

Defeated, she tried calling Tony or their Quinjet but no answer was returned.

"Maria, any news with the others?" she asked when she decided to call the former agent as she walked inside the premises of the research facility.

"Clio," she answered with an urgent tone that made the scientist's worry doubled. "The Hulk had a serious rampage in Johannesburg and caused high fatality."

"What?" she blurted out in shock. She grabbed her holographic phone and scanned the news. Her eyes widened as she watched a video of Hulk smashing everything he walked upon.

"Fortunately, Stark called Veronica and settled things with Bruce," informed the agent.

"W-where are they now?" She asked, suddenly wanting to go back to the tower. "How about the others? How are they?"

"Romanoff, Thor, and Rogers were down but no serious harm befall on them. Don't worry, they are all fine. They are currently on their way to..."

Clio's brow creased when statics were heard at the other line.

"Maria?" She called back but no answer was returned. She looked at her phone and saw that it was turned off. She tried turning it on but to no avail.

Sighing, she pocketed it and started her way down to her friend's lab. The Avengers must be going here after the fight if the others were down.

Still, she couldn't help the worry that blossomed inside her chest. Something doesn't feel so right here.

Researchers and scientists passed her by giving her light greetings of acknowledgment which she returned politely. Everything seemed normal yet her instinct told her it's not. She approached a blonde lady behind the reception desk who greeted her with a smile when she recognized who she was.

"Dr. Stark, we've been expecting you," she said as she shook her hand.

"Yes, is Dr. Cho in the building? I can't get hold of her," Clio said, praying silently that her friend was in the building so she can leave quickly to go to the others.

"Ah, she is currently inside her lab. You can go there since she's expecting you, too," the blonde secretary informed her.

With a brief thank you, she walked towards the familiar hallway that led to her friend's lab. She had been here multiple times whenever Cho required her help in her latest project and in her first time coming here, she got lost which irritates the heck out of her. If she weren't wearing the necklace Loki gave, she would have thrown a fit. Tony laughed at her back then when she returned home.

"Helen?" she called out and knocked lightly when she noticed the door was slightly ajar.

There was a clanking noise before a meek 'in here' was heard. Her brows furrowed at the sound before she opened the door wide. Once she stepped inside, she felt her body was sent flying at the corner of the room.

A groan escaped her lips when her body collided with something hard. Her visions blurred as the back of her head hit the wall with a loud thud. A dark chuckle was heard from the background as she tried to sit up and focused her vision to the sound. At the same time, her body released energy around her to protect her from an ambush.

Once her vision cleared, her eyes widened at the sight in front of her. In the middle of the room was Ultron accompanied by a girl, younger than her, with hands glowing red and boy the same age as the girl. What made her worry was Helen Cho behind them fixing something on the cradle device. She was outnumbered and have no chance of winning or to save Helen.

"Helen," she called out but her fellow doctor didn't mutter a word and instead stared back at her. She gasped when instead of her usual brown eyes, bright blue eyes were staring back at her.

'Hypnotized,' the voice commented and snickered. 'Typical for humans.'

"Why, hello to you too, sister," the robot greet, amused at the distress shown on her face. "We haven't really had time to, you know, get to know each other as siblings," he added, any form of sincerity was not present in his voice.

Her head snapped back to Ultron and glared at him fiercely before she stood up on her feet, guards up and cautious with the other two people in the room. "I didn't know that 'killing me' means that we get to know each other," she said in a snarky manner, reminding him the first time they met. If she was normal, she'd probably died from the stab wound. "And don't call me 'sister' because I don't have a killing machine for a sibling," she added, disgust present in her tone.

His cackle echoed around the room as Ultron threw his mechanical head back as if what she said was very amusing. "You know what's funny? They say that you are 'the prodigy' of Tony Stark - his only daughter-," he scoffed at the last part as if it disgusted him. "-yet you are not made by him?" he continued sarcastically.

Whatever she was planning inside her head faltered at the statement. A familiar humiliation that only appeared whenever someone questioned her origin blossomed inside her chest. No matter how many times Tony assured her he never loved her less whatever her origin was, she couldn't help the feeling of not belonging to anyone.

She could feel her cheeks heating up at the stares of the people inside the room.

"She's not the daughter of Stark?" the girl asked in an accent she knew was from Sokovia. This must be the twins Maria was talking about.

Clio turned to her and raised her hand up to her when she noticed that she was already closing in on her. "Stand back," she warned and gave out a wave of her energy to emphasize her point.

The girl did step back and so did her brother. Clio noticed a shared look of wariness between the two when she summoned another wave of energy. Be that as it may, she still had the disadvantage over the situation. Helen was still a captive.

"She's strong," commented the Sokovian girl but even she knew she was still in a disadvantage.

"The same reason why Stark kept her," the boy murmured but was heard by Clio as she directed her glare at him.

Ultron didn't utter a word and let the statement pass the air.

"You know nothing about me," she gritted then her eyes trailed to her poor friend behind her supposed-to-be brother. "Let Helen go," she warned.

"Shouldn't you be blaming Stark for all of these? For all the tragedies that befall upon you?" Ultron sneered and gave out a low chuckle when she didn't answer and thus glared harder.

"You know, I can understand your pain," he began, as her fellow doctor continued to fix something and his other companions rounded around her. "It must have been painful to watch the only man you love to die."

She cautiously watched the two who was nearing her from her peripheral view. "You don't know anything," she gritted. She couldn't help but feel defensive when it came to Loki. No one can understand what they have - not even Tony Stark and Thor.

Ultron let out a humorless laugh. A holographic image appeared from its eyes and as the image play, Clio's breath hitched.

In front of her was the image of Loki. She figured JARVIS must have saved the file of Loki and Ultron must have got its hands on it. Ultron knew how to push her button. And it was working as she didn't notice her guard lowering and the girl from her right inching her way towards her.

"I could give you a world without pain, sister. No more hatred, no more sorrow, no more suffering," coaxed Ultron as she swallowed the lump in her throat.

'You stubborn mortal,' the image of Loki said as the corner of his lips turned up giving her the smirk she used to love and will forever be longing for it.

Clio opened her mouth to speak when she noticed the sudden movement from her right. Just in time, she summoned a blast to deflect the upcoming attack of the girl.

"A world without pain?" Clio repeated as she dodged each attack from the girl. "Don't make me laugh. How do you intend to do that? By eliminating everyone in the world?"

The girl faltered at her statement as a state of shock washed over her which gave Clio an advantage as she blasted out an energy blast towards her that sent her flying out of the room.

"Wanda!" The boy screamed as he ran towards her in super speed before she hit the ground.

The girl named Wanda levitated before her brother could even catch her and stood up angrily as she directed her gazed at the black haired scientist. "You will regret what you did," she said, voice heavy with Sokovian accent.

"I always do, one way or another," Clio countered sarcastically. "I couldn't help it."

"I will send Stark your body after this so we can justify the death of our parents," she continued, ignoring her previous remarks.

The Stark girl paused at the statement as she gazed at the two. They weren't that much younger than her - three or four years younger maybe.

"I don't understand," she murmured. "What do you mean by justifying their death? What did my dad ever do?"

Instead of answering, her hands glowed red as she summoned her psionic ability. She tugged her hands back as if pulling something.

Clio's heightened sensors alarmed her and she ducked as the metal lamp of the office headed her way. 'Telekinesis,' concluded Clio silently before she rolled over as another item passed her way. She blasted a chair coming her way with her energy blast before it hit her.

She can feel the anger of her enemy as she barraged her with different items that can be seen inside the office. All she could do was deflect and counterattacked it. She was so focused on deflecting each attack that she forgot there was another one. Her body was thrown backward when she felt someone pushed her behind making her startled thus making her forgot to deflect the psionic energy of the girl.

Red mist surrounded her body tight as she was held down on the ground right in front of Ultron's feet.

"That was such a boring fight," commented Ultron as he faked a yawn. "Got a soft spot for children, sister?"

"Don't call me 'sister'!" she hissed and she groaned when she felt the mist squeezing her body.

Ultron chuckled. "Of course, how could I forget. You're not my sister. You never were," he said and bend to her eye level. "You are a sham - a fraud. You are never his child. Do you honestly think you'll last long? Once he produced his own, you're nothing to him just like all his inventions that were rendered useless," he said coldly making Clio's glare falter at the hurtful words.

"Ultron," called the boy, his tone had a hint of warning which confused Clio. "We don't have time for this. We don't know where the Avengers are."

Ultron glanced his way before directing his gaze back at the doctor behind him. "So, what's the status?"

"It's beautiful," answered the doctor dreamily. "The Vibranium atoms aren't just compatible with the tissue cells, they're binding them. And S.H.I.E.L.D. never even thought-"

"The most versatile substance on the planet and they used it to make a Frisbee. Typical of humans," commented Ultron as he touched the scepter of Loki and snatched the glowing stone inside. "They scratch the surface and never think to look within."

Clio watched as the robot clutched the stone on his palm - the same stone that gave Loki the power to rule - and slowly descended it upon the cradle. She couldn't see what was inside the cradle but she could only guess that it's something that was not supposed to be awakened.

"Vibranium and tissue cells?" repeated Clio as realization dawned on her. "Y-You're creating a body, aren't you?" she concluded with a gasp as she tried to struggle free from the grip of the red mist.

"Ha! Now I know why Stark kept you! You have the same brain as him!"

"Don't treat me as if my father treated me like an animal," she hissed. She wished she had taken off Loki's necklace off her neck to free the sinister energy of the Xhylorian inside of her. But then again, she might win but also might end up killing her friend and the others inside this building.

"Aren't you?" He retorted and chuckled. "You're not even from here. Do you want to know a little secret your father kept for 25 years?"

Ultron leaned back to his chair and Clio just noticed the wire connected from its head down to the cradle. He made a gesture as if he was deciding something very amusing.

"What do you mean?" She asked, not able to contain her curiosity.

As if seeing a mouse caught in his trap, Ultron grinned mischievously. "Do you really think Tony Stark didn't know your origin from the beginning? Why do you think he kept you? If you were normal, did you think he'll keep you?"

"He kept me because he has a heart! And he loves me like his true daughter!" She yelled, now angry at the situation she was in. She knew she was acting like a child but she couldn't help it.

She never wanted to hear this conversation. She never wanted to doubt her father's love for her. Dark sinister energy emerged from within her and swirled around her body but the red mist that was keeping her at bay tightened.

Ultron laughed out loud. "Did he actually told you that pathetic excuse? Oh, what a delight!"

Clio could feel her eyes watering. Her heart was breaking even though she chided herself to stop.

"Stark knew you're not a human from the very beginning. That's why he kept you like his own pet. He did find you next to his mother's grave but you didn't know what happened next, right?" taunted Ultron, enjoying every bit of pain he was seeing from the dark haired scientist. "He knew your biological parents. He knew your father was not a human but your mother is. He knew-"

"Shut up!" She screamed angrily; her breathing was heavy as she forced herself to calm down.

"Ultron," Wanda spoke up; her voice showed irritation. "The more you provoke her, the powerful she gets."

"Ah, right," said the robot. "My bad," he added without any hint of sincerity in his voice.

Clio gritted her teeth as she tried to calm herself down. "What do you plan to do with the body that you're creating then?" she asked, wanting to put their conversation behind.

"I plan to create a perfect world," answered Ultron. "A world without war; a peaceful world."

"Do you really think you can achieve that?" she challenged then she glanced back at the twins. "A better world - do you know how he'll achieve that? Do you know the cost?"

Confusion clouded their eyes for a second before they turn to Ultron to silently ask what was going on.

"We want to destroy the Avengers," murmured the boy almost to himself. "To stop them from destroying it."

"Destroying it?" Clio bellowed making the two flinch in surprise. "Destroying the world is the last thing they wanted to do! That's why they are called the 'Avengers' - they avenge the Earth!"

Wanda took a step forward - fury dancing in her eyes but so was confusion towards the whole thing. "You're wrong! If they want to save the people they should have done that without sacrificing some!"

Clio's eyes softened slightly at the girl which caught her off-guard. They were still young when their parents died after all. "Do you think they wanted that?" she asked her.

The twins shared a confused look before glancing back at her.

"No one can make the world a better place. It's already as it is. We love, we lose and we gain. Isn't that the way it was supposed to be?"

Ultron made a gagging sound making the three snap their head back at him. "If I could barf, I would do so. That's why we need to evolve. People like you who are 'okay' of the way the world makes me sick."

Clio could only watch in defeat as the twins seemed to be persuaded by the robot's words. He beckoned Cho over to him and the latter did as she was told. She watched as her friend connected a tube to Ultron's head.

The boy took pity on her and helped her sit up instead of lying face down on the floor despite his sister's protest.

"You're making a big mistake," she whispered to him.

He glanced at her and saw something she could not understand in his eyes. "Do we look like we have a choice?" he asked back.

Clio opened her mouth to respond but he was already gone and was beside his sister before she could even mutter a word.

"Cellular cohesion will take a few hours, but we can initiate the consciousness stream," Helen informed them as she finished fixing up the tube. "We're uploading your cerebral matrix now."

There was a beeping sound in the background as the cerebral matrix was transferred to the cradle. She watched as the girl walked over to the cradle, mesmerized.

"I can read him," she muttered. "He's dreaming."

"I wouldn't call it a dream," answered the doctor. "It's Ultron's base consciousness."

'Ultron's base consciousness?' she thought, her brows creased as she deciphered what it meant. She glanced at the girl who was watching with amazement at the cradle. 'Could that mean she couldn't read him when Ultron was inside an Iron Legion?' she thought again.

'What's your point?' the voice asked.

'My point is, Ultron's consciousness is like a memory drive. You can't have any access with it if it isn't plugged into a device. That's why the Maximoff girl doesn't know what he was planning despite her psionic manipulation of the mind.'

'Do you think Ultron doesn't know that already?'

'Oh, I bet he knew. But he's willing to take the risk of her finding out. I think Ultron underestimate both of them. They grew up knowing nothing much. They can be easily persuaded by words.'

'Then you're doomed.'

'I've got to take the risk, too. Can I communicate with the girl?'.

'You wouldn't know if you wouldn't try,' answered the voice.

Clio sighed inwardly at the snarky remark. She tried to focus on connecting her aura on the red mist that surrounded her body. She tried pulling it and to her delight, the girl glanced at her back in surprise as if someone had tapped her shoulder.

'See?'

'Oh, hush.'

"How soon?" asked Ultron, interrupting the doctor's explanation. "Oh, I'm not being pushy."

Clio rolled her eyes.

"We're imprinting a physical brain. There are no shortcuts to this," answered the doctor.

While the two were distracted, she decided to transfer her thoughts on the red mist that was surrounding her body. Had she not trained with Frigga, she would have failed to do this so. She was glad it was paying off. 'You can read minds, can't you?' she passed the message to the girl.

The girl glanced at her quickly and glared. 'If I'm not mistaken, Ultron wanted the world to evolve. Why don't you try and read the mind inside the cradle?' she passed again the message and she could see the uncertainty in her eyes once she got it.

'What ever you are trying to do, you will not get away,' Clio's eyes widened when the girl suddenly spoke inside her head.

'I'm not trying to get away. I'm trying to open that thick head of yours! You're blinded by your anger with my father that you don't know what's really happening.'

The girl didn't respond back but the uncertainty in her eyes intensified and she could feel the doubt from the mist that was surrounding her. She glanced at her twin brother who was staring at their exchange from the very start. An exchange passed between them and with a nod from him, she slowly inched her way towards the cradle. Hands were outreached as if to touch it.

Clio waited with anticipation and worry as she prayed silently that what she predicted was right. As the girl's hands connected with the cradle, a wave of sinister energy flowed through her from the mist. She could feel the terror the girl was feeling that she bit her lips to stop herself from cowering.

With a loud scream, she retracted her hands away from the cradle. Within seconds, her brother was already by her side.

Ultron stood up, startled at the sudden reaction from the girl.

Panting, Wanda glanced at Ultron with disbelief. "How could you?" she accused.

"How could I what?" asked Ultron back.

"You said we would destroy the Avengers - make a better world-"

"It will be better," he cut off.

Her face morphed from disbelief to realization after a moment of contemplation. Judging from her brother's face, too, he must have caught on.

"When everyone is dead?" she asked in disbelief.

Clio can't imagine the startled look that was present in the robot's face at the moment but here it was in front of her and she couldn't help but glee in satisfaction."That- That is not- I- The-"

"Cat got your tongue?" How she hated her mouth when it came to bad timings but this was worth it. Ultron whipped his robotic head to her and glared daggers.

"The human has every opportunity to improve," he tried to explain again.

"And if they don't?" interjected the boy; putting himself in front of his sister.

"Ask Noah," he answered back nonchalantly.

"You're a mad man," the girl said while shaking her head as if disappointed at the robot.

Clio opened her mouth to speak but the aura around her tightened suddenly as if trying to stop her. She glanced up, surprised but the look the girl secretly gave her made her clamp her mouth shut. Slowly, she felt the aura around her dissipating away from her body while the two kept Ultron busy. An understanding between the two aura user was made as she watched her undo the spell she put on Helen. Slowly, the doctor's eye color turned back to its original color as she slowly came into her senses.

"There were more than a dozen of extinction-level events even before the dinosaurs got theirs," Ultron continued to persuade the twins. "When the Earth starts to settle, God throws a stone at it."

Clio could see from the twins' faces that no amount of explanation can pursuade them anymore and if only she could, she would have breathed in relief but of course she can't.

Her heart pounded in her rib cage with worry as she watched her friend who had come to her senses and was silently walking up to the computer - must be to stop the transfer of Ultron consciousness to the body. It frustrated her how far she was to Helen and the possibility of not being able to save her friend put her on edge.

"And believe me he's winding up," finished Ultron. "We have to evolve. There's no room for the weak," he added while caressing the cradle.

"And who decides who's weak?" Asked the boy.

"Life, heh," Ultron answered. "Life always decides."

She readied herself, summoning the last of her when something caught Ultron's sensors.

"Someone's coming," he alerted; still confident that the twins will follow him.

Clio could pick up the faint whizzing noise above the building.

"The quinjet," she murmured and glanced at her wrist to see her tracking bracelet. A small smile appeared from her face at the thought of the Avengers.

"We have to move," ordered Ultron.

"That's not a problem," Helen spoke up slightly startling Clio.

Suddenly, Helen deactivated the process making Ultron growl and shoot his beam blast at the doctor.

Clio summoned her energy to deflect it but she barely made it as she felt someone grabbed her by the waist, losing her concentration for a bit. Thus, making Helen be hit on the shoulder.

"Helen!" She called out with worry and glared back when she noticed the boy and behind him was his sister on his back.

Clio's eyes widened when she realized he planned to take her with them.

"No, don't-"

A whirl of wind hit her face as she was whipped away from the laboratory and away from her unconscious friend. The last thing she saw was Helen on the ground bathing with her own pool of blood. She felt a sudden wave of déjà vu when she remembered how Frigga bathed with her own blood back then. Had she not wearing the necklace she would have felt the same aura she felt back then. But this time, she felt useless. She couldn't even saved her friend. A tear escaped from her eye as the image in front of her disappear.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Hi, guys! I'm so sorry for the delay of update of this story. I can't seem to find a suitable time to write this chapter. Work has been hectic and whenever I have free time, I'd be dead tired and my eyes are so sore to even look in front of the computer. So I really do appreciate those who still read this despite the delay. I hope you enjoyed reading this one!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer** : I don't own any of the Marvel Franchise.

 **Chapter 29**

 **Foes turned Friends**

Clio didn't know how much she cursed and screamed during their escape but she didn't dare stop even when they arrived at a safe distance away from Ultron.

"How could you?!" She fumed at the both of them when she landed on both her feet. She gave the boy a good slap on the face. "You left my friend out there with Ultron to die!"

She was heaving angrily through her nose and she was on the verge of exploding. She had enough and she will slap the realization on the twins' faces if she had to.

"A 'thank you' would have been enough," murmured the boy as he massaged his swollen cheek.

"Hit my brother one more time and that's the last thing you'll ever regret," threatened the girl.

Clio towered over her about a good inch that she had to glare down at the younger girl. "Don't you threaten me because I can do more than you," she hissed and as if to emphasize her point, a wave of energy surge between them putting enough distance.

There was a moment of shock on the girl's face before she smirked challengingly as if her threat wasn't that serious. Her eyes glow red and before Clio could dodge or even react, flashes of red mist appeared in front of her.

Darkness surrounded her vision. From a distance, she can hear the boy yelling for his sister to stop. Then there was an explosion from a distance. Shouts and shrieks can be heard and despite not seeing anything, Clio summoned an energy shield around here just in case there was an ambush coming from the girl.

'Is she casting an illusion in my mind as Maria told me?' she asked the voice.

'I do not know. But one way to find out, be alert,' the voice warned.

Slowly, blurry images appeared out of nowhere. Green, black and white flashed before her eyes that it almost blinded her. Until, sounds –what seemed to be like birds chirping and wind rustling from a distance – was heard.

Then, she suddenly found herself standing in the middle of a cemetery. Her brows creased. Was this an illusion or did the girl have additional powers to teleport? From a far corner, there were people wearing black suits and dress as they watch a coffin be buried.

"I know this place," she muttered to no one in particular. She watched as the few people crowding the tombstone started walking away – some still crying while the others were trying to console the other.

But what caught her attention was a man standing in front of another tombstone. His back was to her and he was talking to somebody else. Heart caught in her throat, she slowly walked towards them. She didn't know why, though. To ask questions? Or was there something so achingly familiar to the angle of the man wearing a suit?

Her feet stopped just a few distances away from them when they were in earshot. She noticed that the other man was not even familiar to her with his hair was black as midnight and he was wearing sun-glasses but she could see how distressed he was at the moment as he rubbed something from a blanket.

"You know I can't do this."

Clio clamped her hand to her mouth when she recognized Tony's voice from the man who had his back turned to her.

"My friend, you are the only one I can trust," plead the guy who was wearing glasses. "I know this is too much but I just can't take her with me. It is very dangerous."

Tony sighed. "And you had to pick today and the place here for us to meet?"

"My condolences, my friend," he said and glanced at the tombstone below them which has the name of Maria Stark. "Your mother was an amazing woman and so was your father."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Tony said and sighed as he gazed at the tombstone below their feet. "She wouldn't want you to do it if she was alive to see this."

The man didn't answer back and thus bowed his head in shame.

"No words of gratitude are enough for what your family did to me," he murmured softly. "Had it not for your parents, I would have died a long time ago. You sheltered me, treated me as if I am your own brother. If I could turn back the time, I will save your parents."

"Don't," cut off Tony; his voice filled with strain. "You can't save them," he said it with such finality in his voice.

"I'm sorry," the man apologized.

Tony didn't answer back as they both gazed at the tombstone at their feet. Few moments of silence passed before Tony sighed again.

"When you called me to tell me your plan I thought to myself, 'Wow, I wasn't the only dumb one in the family'. You are sick, you know that?" he spat in disgust. "That's why I rejected it."

Despite the sunglasses the man was wearing, she could visibly see the glare he sent to Tony's way. "You don't even know what it feels like," he answered calmly.

"Then you shouldn't be doing this to her!" Tony snapped pointing at the bundled blanket in the man's arm. "You, out of all people, know what it feels like to be out of place!"

"I know," answered the man and sighed in defeat. "But would you want me to take her with me?"

"Don't even go there," Tony warned. "This won't happen if you are thinking right."

"You are the brother I never had, Tony. We clashed several times in the past for so petty things, I know. But I have so much faith and trust in you. I am grateful because even when your parents died, you never left me even when you had the choice; even when I know you never really liked me," he explained.

Tony opened his mouth to speak but was cut off. "But, Tony, ever since your parents adopted me I knew I don't belong here. Something is nagging at the back of my head but I couldn't even explain what it was. And then I met Claire, my wife, and we have a baby girl. I tried and I know you know that I did."

Tony shook his head and smiled without any humor. "And when she died," he continued; his voice cracking a little that he had to swallow up the lump in his throat to proceed. "When Claire died, everything came back; my memories, my feelings and my reason why I am here."

Tony sighed again and bowed his head. Even she knew that the battle was over and Tony lost. "I don't want you charging to something that looked dangerous, too. Why can't you just stay here with your daughter?"

Clio's brows creased further at the statement. Slowly, the man smoothed out the blanket until a baby appeared from the confines. Her heart started thumping rapidly that she thought it would burst out at any moment.

"I couldn't just let it slide knowing I had another life from another planet," he explained as he gazed down at the blanket in his arms.

"You also owe me," the man said and a sheepish grin appeared from his tired face. "You know I would never give you something I know you could not handle. But I need to see if my visions were right. We are the last living of our kind."

With a painful sigh, he slowly deposited the baby on Tony's arms to his surprise. The protest was caught in his throat at the feel of the baby in his arms.

Despite her mind protesting not to, her feet started moving over Tony's shoulder to sneak a peek and there it was. A small baby staring at the man in front of her. Clio bit her lips from gasping when the baby's stare turned to her – both eyes the color of a brewing storm; gray.

"You know, this whole alien and another planet thing still hasn't grasp my brain and now you're giving me your half-alien daughter," grumbled Tony but nonetheless rocked the baby on his arms – a small smile on his face.

Clio took a step back and shook her head. Disbelief marred her face as she watched Tony cooed the baby in his arms as if it was his own.

"No, no," she mumbled to herself; she closed her eyes and shook her head. "That's not what really happened."

Clio opened her eyes and glanced at the unknown man talking to Tony. She couldn't see his eyes but the blackness of his hair was in comparison to hers now that she observed it carefully.

"Give her a normal life, Tony," the man requested and procured a purple vial from his pocket. "Xhylorians tend to have a vast memory even when they are just an infant. Inject this in her and she will forget everything," he instructed and put the vial inside Tony's suit before he could complain.

"You're being unfair to your child," the billionaire grumbled.

"You're all being unfair!" cried Clio but her cries were unheard She turned her head to her foster father with a betrayed look – her lips quivering in anger. "You said you don't have any idea who I was! You said you saw me by accident!" she accused Tony who was grumbling something under his breath. "And all this time?" she breathed heavily as she felt tears running down her cheeks. "All this time, you knew who my true father was?"

"You'd be a better father than I will ever be, Tony," the man said before he turned his attention back to the baby with a forlorn look, almost despair.

Clio glanced at the man in front of her. He slowly took off his sunglasses revealing his stormy gray eyes just like hers and the baby in Tony's arm. His were misty as if leaving was his hardest decision. "I am mostly sorry, my little Cliomeghria. You will forever be in my heart and mind, just like your mother. Always."

"Cliomeghria," she muttered and sniffled as she watched the man touched his forehead to hers and muttered something she could not understand.

The baby cried as if knowing she will be left behind by her true father and Clio's heart ached so much she could hardly breathe. How can she see this? How can the past be revealed to her like this? How can Tony lie to her like this?

"You can change her name if you wish," he said heartbrokenly to Tony who was also watching the exchange. "Give her the life she deserved, my friend."

The image then shifted and now she was back at their Malibu house before it was destroyed by the Mandarin. Tony was staring blankly at the baby who was crying her heart out in Pepper's arm – who was, at that time, still the billionaire's assistant.

"I can't do this, Pep," Tony muttered as he hung his head low before walking out of the room. Before he vanished from sight, Clio heard him whisper: "I'm not ready to be a father."

The image shifted again to a scene where Tony was drinking scotch over the balcony when Pepper came charging inside; her face flushed with anger which Clio could only see around when Tony was being – well – Tony.

"You are unbelievable!" she hissed once she stopped a meter away from him.

The corner of Tony's lip quirked up and barely gave his assistance a glance. "Good evening to you, too, Miss Potts," he said sarcastically.

"You sent her to an orphanage?!" she screeched that Clio could almost hear her teeth gnashing together.

Tony didn't answer the question. This part, Clio knew. Her foster father told her how he gave her to the orphanage at that time. But the revelation of what really happened that night set new pain in her heart. She never felt so unwanted – so unloved.

"You know what? When you first came in with a baby in your arms that one night, I didn't even question it. I watched how you watch her fondly and that's when I knew that you'd be a great father to her. And now, just because you can't handle something like this you gave her away as if she's some kind of a toy?!"

Tony took a big sip from his glass and walked away from Pepper who stubbornly followed her boss.

"You gave her a name! You named her as 'Clio' and now you want her gone?! What kind of human are you?"

"I don't deserve her, okay?!" he shouted making Pepper clamped her mouth shut in surprise. "A family who always wanted a child; something she could call home – that is what she needs. I can't give her a happy family. She deserves that, not me."

Clio stared at the scene, her eyes puffy and red from crying. All throughout the illusion, this one was the most painful. Was this really an illusion? Or did this happened in real life?

Slowly the scene started fading in front of her. Mist of red surrounded her and she could feel her body shaking from what she learned about. She could almost feel nothing but the pain.

When the red mist finally vanished, she was back from where she was before the illusions started. The Maximoff boy was hovering over here with worry.

Then he sighed in relief when her eyes blinked twice in realization.

"You need to stop it," he scolded directing it to his sister who let out a huff then glanced sideways to Clio who was still shaken from the illusion.

"We need to stop Ultron instead of killing each other. And I never wanted your friend to be killed but we need to save you and I could only carry two," continued the boy but Clio couldn't even manage to utter a sound as she stared at the two of them blankly.

"I think you broke her," she heard him commented at his sister.

Clio swallowed the lump in her throat and breathed heavily. She bit her lower lip to stop it from quivering. "Was – was that just an… illusion?" she asked absentmindedly.

The two glanced at each other warily before the girl sighed. "No," she answered; shattering all remaining hopes of Clio. "I went inside Tony Stark's mind before. I figured that was you."

"Why?" she sobbed to no one as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. "Why did he have to lie?" she sobbed as she slowly went down on her knees.

Soon, she felt someone knelt down in front of her. She didn't bother to know who it was as she clamped her eyes shut. A hand fell on her shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly.

"Look, I know you're mad at Tony Stark for what he did and you should be. You have all the rights to be mad at him, but," she cried as she continued to wipe her cheeks of tears but it kept on coming as if a dam broke inside of her. And maybe there was. "Whatever his reasons were for doing stuff he did before, I knew he really didn't mean it. And I know he loves me like his own. He's not perfect and I – I… I don't even know why I'm convincing all of you!"

"I don't think you are convincing us. I think you are convincing yourself," she heard the boy speak.

Clio stiffened at the statement.

"But I know it must've been painful for you to break down like this," he continued.

She hid her face in between her palms as the boy continued to say comforting words to her. Her sobs were ceasing slowly as she listened to him. The comforting squeeze of her shoulder calmed her down.

"We hated Stark because he was the reason why our parents are dead. He is a ticking bomb that is nearing its explosion; he didn't know how to distinguish saving the world from destroying it but we knew he loved his daughter – and that is you," he explained making cease from sobbing and listen to his statement. "He wanted to create a perfect world without any harm to those he loves. That's what I just realized now."

"We wanted him gone and so were the Avengers because we believed that they are the root of all that is happening in the world. But in exchange for that is human race extinction, we couldn't bear that either. We wanted a peaceful world. But not like this," the girl behind her brother spoke up.

"So this is not the time for you to cry when the human race is at stake. You are brave. I-I know for a fact that you are. You are… uh… kind. You showed bravery and came charging inside the building just to save your friend… and you're pretty, uh… beautiful as a matter of fact and strong and…" he continued awkwardly; his voice was strained as if trying to choose the right words to say.

She could feel he was not used to sentiments like this that she almost smiled. The tears that were streaming down her face a while ago were ceasing and she slowly lifted her face up from her palms. A sad smile appeared on her features. Her mind drifted to someone she knew who was also not fond of sentiments; someone who was gone a long time ago – someone she wished was here to give her comfort and to annoy her just to diverse the pain she was feeling. She suddenly missed Loki so bad that she could feel a fresh wave of tears trying to resurface but held it back.

"Thank you," she whispered softly to the boy in front of her. She glanced at his sister and gave out a small smile which the girl didn't bother returning and thus just rolled her eyes.

The boy must have never expected her to say something like that because surprise broke in his face and tint of pink on his cheeks were visible.

"And you're right," she said defiantly and slowly got up back on her feet. She extended her right hand at the boy who hesitantly took it and pulled him up. "This is not the time for me to cry."

The boy let out a grin to which she returned with a soft smile.

"I'm Pietro, by the way. And my twin sister is Wanda. I hope we get to a better footing this time," the boy named Pietro reconciled as they both shook hands.

"I couldn't agree more. Call me 'Clio'," she introduced.

"It's nice to meet you, Clio," he said and gave her a boyish grin making Clio realized how young they were at the moment to be trying to stop this was war.

She opened her mouth to return the polite statement when Wanda spoke up whom they didn't notice moved away from them and was in front of a television store which a news flash was streaming live.

"Hey!" she called out clearly annoyed with the fact that her brother and her supposed-to-be enemy were now friends. "The Avengers are here and is fighting off Ultron," she informed.

Clio walked up next to her and watched as Captain America tackles Ultron into a train where many civilians were inside.

"We've got to help," she said and turned around to find Wanda already in Pietro's arms and Pietro indicating for her to climb behind him.

"Hop on, then," he motioned.

Clio shook her head in humor but nevertheless nodded.

-

The three of them arrived just in time for Clio to propel her energy blast to an upcoming bot behind Captain America. They found him and Ultron Sentries inside a train that was out of its railings and was causing destruction to the city.

"You're late," he commented out of breath as he launched his shield towards another bot behind her.

Ultron, once again, tried to reason with the twins. "Please. Don't do this," he begged.

Wanda's glare didn't waver despite the bot's pleading. Red mist surrounded her hands. "What choice do we have?" she asked back; challengingly. But before she could blast him, he took off.

Clio wondered what kind of attachment Ultron had with the twins for him to act like this or was it because he'd benefit with them?

"What's up with them?" Steve asked pertaining to the twins.

"They're with me," answered Clio and smiled at the twins.

Steve stared at the two skeptically at first before he nodded his head. "We need to stop this train before it causes more damage," he said.

"I can help with that," Wanda volunteered. She waved her hand as red mist arises from her hand and launched it over the train.

The force from her energy against the speed of the train put a strain to it yet it did not stop.

"There are people!" warned Clio frantically. She turned towards Pietro. "Get the people out of the streets! Now!"

With a quick nod, Pietro got off the train and with his amazing speed tried to get as much as people out of the way.

"Clio!" Steve called out front in a frantic voice.

She glanced to where he was pointing and her eyes widened at the sight. They were approaching a building not far from them now. She glanced around the train and saw civilians huddled up together frightened at what was happening.

"We need to get them out of here," she said to Steve.

"How?"

Clio looked around trying to find the answer to his question. She glanced at Wanda who was having a hard time trying to stop the train. She could just help her but knowing her lack of energy at the moment, she doubted if she could be of any help. She might also render Wanda's focus if she were to help. If only she could transfer them out of here.

Clio paused. A sickening thought entered her mind and suddenly she felt nauseous just by thinking about it.

"Clio," Steve called out her name again and this time she made a decision.

"Round up every civilian in front of me, now."

Without asking for further question, Steve did as he was told. She didn't know how much energy she still had inside of her. She calculated every move and every consequence while she watched the Maximoff girl's face who was dreary and exhausted already.

She suddenly wished she continued her training with Frigga and Healer Hilda. She cursed herself silently. 'I should have just sucked it up and visited Asgard more often!' she thought frustrated.

'I could always be of help,' offered the voice.

'I know,' Clio thought back. 'But I'm using mine, not yours.'

A chuckle echoed inside her head. 'You're getting a hang of it. I guess you don't need me anymore.'

On a normal basis, she would have asked the voice what it meant by that but this wasn't a normal basis. They were in a dire situation and she didn't have time to think about anything.

Once the remaining civilians were gathered up around her, Steve stood next to her with worry etched on his face. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to transport them out of the train," she answered truthfully. "Magic is not my forte but desperate times call for desperate measures. I did have a bit of training regarding this. But I have to try." She left out the part where she was low in energy already. Steve wouldn't let her do it if he ever found out.

Steve squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "Then do it."

She tried to remember every lesson she had with Frigga and it led her to her first actual lesson of magic which impressed the Queen immensely. Her first lesson included transportation of a goblet to another place. Of course, sorcery was not her forte and she clearly avoided it after having to spend too much energy just by transporting a goblet but they were running out of options.

She closed her eyes and muttered an enchantment she was still so foreign of speaking. Green and gold mist appeared around the people from the train. She could already feel her energy-depleting just by enchanting the words yet she didn't dare stop. Had it not been for Loki's magic and her Xhylorian energy she would have dropped dead now from drying out her energy.

"Clio, any time now!" she heard Steve warned behind her.

Gasp and cries of horror from the crowd can be heard through her focus trying to claw its way in. Panic bubbled inside her chest but she tried to enchant quickly.

She could already feel her energy being filled. She could feel it boiling in her chest, swirling with heat that she almost passed out from the pain. And then finally, the building up of her energy suddenly burst and the people in front of her vanished.

Her breathe hitched up at the sudden pain that struck from her chest to her head like lightning. The swirling of energy in her stomach stopped immediately. Her body felt heavy and she was falling.

Steve caught her just in time before she fell. Her eyes were fluttering shut but she resisted.

She could only watch Wanda whose face was morphed in pain as she put more exertion in stopping the train.

Steve instinctively shielded them with his shield as they approached the building but before the train could ever hit it Wanda let out another wave of energy against the train. The train made a creaking noise before slowly, it came into a halt just before it hit the wall.

Silence descended upon the three before they all decided to come out. Steve was carrying Clio in his arms due to her inability to walk at the moment.

Wanda ran over to Pietro who was heaving. "I just need a moment," he assured his sister as he breathed heavily.

"I'm tempted not to give you one," threatened Steve as he set Clio down on her feet but not entirely letting her go just in case she loosed her balance again.

"It's okay," assured Clio to the super soldier and gave the twin a grateful smile.

"You were amazing," Pietro complimented to Clio once he steadied his breathing. "The people were transported successfully." Amazement was shown in his eyes as he gazed at the foster child of his enemy.

Clio nodded and smiled. "Thanks," she answered then she glanced at the Maximoff girl who was glaring daggers at their exchange. She then turned to Steve.

"The Cradle, did you get it?" Wanda asked Steve – more like demanded.

"Stark will take care of it," answered the soldier.

Wanda and Pietro shared a startled look which didn't go unnoticed by Clio.

"No, he won't," growled Wanda.

Clio's brows creased and made a move to walk over to the Maximoff girl. Despite having been hurt by the truth of what she saw earlier, the need to protect her foster father still surged through her.

"Listen here," she hissed. "I know you hate my father…"

"No," Wanda cut her off. "This is beyond hating your father. Once he got his hands on the Cradle, it's game over."

"You don't know what you're talking about. Stark's not crazy," Steve tried to reassure them.

"He will do anything to make things right," Wanda persisted.

Clio glanced at Steve who also mirrored her own confused expression.

"What do you mean?" she asked when she glanced back at the twin.

"Stark, come in," Steve called to his comm. "Stark! Is anyone on comms?"

"My father is a good man," Clio tried to defend but even she knew what Tony Stark was capable of. Deep in her heart, she knew the twins were right. "He just wanted to have a peaceful world for us to live in."

"Ultron doesn't know the difference between saving the world and destroying it. Where do you think he gets that?" Wanda deadpanned.

 **A/N: Hey guys! Wow, it's been a while since I posted a new chapter. I have to apologized for that. I've been busy with work and connection sucks at the moment so forgive me for neglecting to post a chapter. But I hope you like this one. Thank you for reading it!**

 **Leave a review or suggestions if you have some. It would very much be appreciated.**

 ** _Cliomegheria: Kli-yo-merh-ya_**


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Marvel Franchise. I only own my OC.**

* * *

 **Chapter 30**

 **Confrontations**

* * *

 **~Kyln Prison~**

There were many occasions where Loki tried not to care about everything that was happening around him. Many times, that would involve Thor doing stupid stuff. But of course, no matter how idiotic his brother maybe, he would always lend a hand whenever needed.

Usually, that was it. He wouldn't even try to get in anyone's business. But now he wanted to strangle his neck when he found himself next to another idiotic species, whom he called himself as "Star Lord", whilst trying to subdue a prisoner from cutting off their woman companion's neck.

"You know, if killing Ronan is truly your sole purpose, I don't think this is the best way to go about it," Quill or Star Lord tried to reason out. Then his head turned slightly to him - eyes pleading to help him out. "...right?"

Loki pursed his lips and crossed his arms on his chest. "So, you mean to say you want to kill this woman because of what Ronan did to your wife and daughter?" he asked the prisoner to which he nodded in reply.

"Yes, that is correct," he answered.

"So, what's stopping you?" Loki challenged making Quill glanced at him in disbelief.

The woman glared at him. Feisty. Just like the woman in his dreams a while ago. A pang of pain shot up in his chest at the thought. No, this was not the time to be thinking of her. This was all for her.

"Dude!"

But he ignored him and never let his stare waver from the prisoner who scowled at his statement. He inched the knife that he was holding closer to the woman's neck. A thin line of blood appeared making Loki squint his eyes in challenge.

"I will kill her," the prisoner declared again and attempted to slice up her skin when Quill intervened again.

"Woah, hey!" Quill yelled and pointed at Loki. "Don't believe a word he was saying!"

Loki didn't bother sparing Quill a glance. If only he could zip his annoying mouth shut. His eyes roamed cautiously around. He noticed the other prisoners present in the area were wary of what was happening. No doubt this prisoner who was holding their companion was a threat. But to Loki, he seemed like someone who was easily distracted. If he wanted to kill the woman, he would have done it already despite the petty attempts of Quill.

Well, he needed to see if the dog would bite.

"But come to think of it, killing this woman meant Ronan is still alive," he said as if the fact was something that suddenly came up in his thought. He could see the prisoner whom he heard was called "Drax" a while ago hesitated.

"T-That's right," he answered.

"Wouldn't it be a better justice if Ronan would be the one you will kill?" Loki asked again. He smirked inwardly when realization dawned on his victim's face. Victory.

The truth was he was gambling here. He didn't fully know if the woman knew Ronan's whereabouts or if what she was saying was true. But she was the daughter of the monster he hated, he shouldn't be taking her easily.

"You're right," he growled.

"But you mean to kill this woman who, in my opinion, is the only one with knowledge of the whereabouts of Ronan," Loki added as he glanced at everyone in the room challenging them to speak up. "Or, maybe, you know where he is?" he asked Drax when his glance landed on him.

"I-I don't," he admitted truthfully.

"Kil is right," Quill seconded making Loki roll his eyes but didn't stop him. If he failed with this, he will slit his throat with one of his knives. "You know, if killing Ronan is truly your sole purpose, I don't think this is the best way to go about it."

"You just repeated what Kil said, you idiot," Rocket Raccoon hissed.

"Are you not the man this wench attempted to kill?" Drax asked making Quill be taken back by the sudden question.

Gamora, who was the woman being held captive, raised a questioning brow at him too.

"W-Well, I mean, she's hardly the first woman to try and do that to me," he explained with a stutter at the sudden stare of everyone in the room. "The point is, she betrayed Ronan. He's coming back for her. And when he does that's when you..." he gestured his index finger to his throat and sliced it up.

'Good point,' Loki thought as he glanced back at Drax who was staring at Quill in confusion. 'He should bite this one even more.'

"Why would I put my finger on his throat?" he asked in confusion.

Quill and Loki paused at his question. The need to slam his head on the wall was strong in Loki's that he bit his tongue to stop.

"What? No, it's a symbol," offered Quill and made the same gesture again. "This is a symbol that you will slice his throat."

"I would not slice his throat. I would cut his head clean off," Drax declared.

Loki looked up at the ceiling as if that would save him from the idiots in the room.

"It's a general expression for you killing somebody," Quill attempted again. "You've heard this. You've seen this right?" he asked while gesturing the same gesture. He glanced at Loki for help but the Jotun was avoiding his stare.

He won't step up this time.

"Right," Quill answered for his question when he noticed Loki won't answer him. "What I'm saying is, you want to keep her alive. Don't do his work for him."

At long last, Drax released the woman from his grip with a huff. He glanced back at the two and gave them a piercing stare. "I will kill Ronan," he declared once again. With a last glare to Gamora, he walked off the room.

Loki gave him a fake supporting smile with a thumbs up before he dropped it once he turned around. They waited as they were out of view before Quill spoke up.

"Listen!" he began, pointing at Gamora. A blush was visible in both his cheeks. "I could care less whether you live or whether you die."

"Then why would you stop the big guy?" she asked back nonchalantly.

"Simple," he answered making the three of them raised a brow at him. "You know where to sell my Orb."

"How are we gonna sell it when we and it are still here?" asked Loki.

Quill smiled at them victoriously as if having won a lottery before he patted the Raccoon's head.

"My friend Rocket, here, has escaped 22 prisons," Quill explained with a grin. But it was short-lived when Rocket slapped his hand away from his head and walked away from him.

"We're getting out. And then we're heading straight to Yondu to retrieve your bounty," he said nonchalantly.

Quill sighed and turned towards Loki for help. The latter rolled his eyes. How did he end up teaming up with him? Thor, he was used to but this one? He's a whole new level of idiocy.

He turned towards Gamora who was looking anywhere but them looking bored to death. "Hey, you," he called making the only woman in the room raised a questioning brow at him. "How much was your buyer willing to pay you for our Orb?"

"Actually, it's mine," intervened Quill but clamped his mouth shut when Loki glared harder at him.

"Four billion units," answered Gamora.

"WHAT?" exclaimed Rocket who backtracked. His eyes were wide as a saucer and his mouth was hanging open.

Quill, who was also not expecting it, was taken back by the price. "Holy shit," he muttered.

In all honesty, even Loki was surprised. The Orb must have been something of a prize if that was the case. 'Four billion units,' he thought. 'Over an Orb? And why is Ronan so keen on taking the Orb? Unless he wants it for...'

"The Orb is my opportunity to get away from Thanos and Ronan," she explained with a piercing stare at him.

Loki tensed at the name and he knew it did not go unnoticed by Gamora. He knew that she knew he was once a part of Thanos' army like the sudden tension of Loki's body didn't go unnoticed by Gamora. She knew he was once a part of Thanos' army like Ronan. He saw her once watching him get tortured and brainwashed by his benefactor. He clenched his fist. After everything that he'd been through, he was still scared shitless whenever he was reminded of his past.

But still, whether or not she was telling the truth of getting away from Thanos then he'll need her help on this.

"If you free us, I'll lead you to the buyer directly and I'll split the profit between the three of us," she offered.

"I am Groot," Groot, who suddenly turned up, spoke.

After contemplating her statement, Rocket grinned. "Five for us. Asleep for the danger, awake for the money, as per frickin' usual."

And so, the rest of the night they lay on their cot thinking of a plan to escape. Even though Loki knew he could escape with just a flick of his wrist he didn't do it. He decided he'd go with the most favored daughter of his benefactor and see what benefits he could get from it. Besides, if he kept running from realm to realm, he'll end up with nothing.

None of them were visited by sleep. When morning came, they all wore heavy bags under their eyes but without even muttering to each other they knew they made a pact.

"If we're gonna get out of here, we're gonna need to get into that watchtower," Rocket spoke to them over meal break.

The watchtower he was talking about was the tower at the center of their cafeteria. For some reason, Rocket figured out that it was the main control panel of the area.

"And to do that, I'm gonna need a few things. The guards wear security bands to control their ins and outs. I need one," he continued.

"Leave it to me," Gamora volunteered and the others nodded in agreement.

"That dude, there," Rocket pointed and we all turned to the prisoner with a prosthetic leg. "I need his prosthetic leg."

"His leg?" asked Quill quizzically. Loki raised a brow at the raccoon at his request.

"Yeah. God knows I don't need the rest of him. Look at him, he's useless," the raccoon ranted.

"All right, I'll do it," Quill volunteered.

"And finally, on the wall back there is a black panel. Blinky yellow light. Do you see it?" he instructed to which all of us turned to look.

"Yeah."

"There's a quarnyx battery behind it. Purplish box, green wires. To get into that watchtower, I definitely need it," he said.

"How are we supposed to do that?" Loki asked.

"Well, you're good with that silver tongue of yours. Use it."

Loki pursed his lips into a thin line. All of his life in Asgard he was branded the name Silver Tongue since he could sway people with his words and lies to his liking. One thing that was never changed.

"Look, it's 20 feet up in the air, and it's in the middle of the most heavily-guarded part of the prison," Quill objected to which Loki did not argue with. "Even if Kil managed to sway everyone near it, it's impossible to get up there without being seen."

Loki sighed and rubbed his temple. "He's got a point," he spoke.

"I got one plan, and that requires a frickin' quarnyx battery so figure it out! Use Groot if you must!" Rocket growled. "Can I get back to it? Thanks. Now, this is important. Once the battery is removed, everything is gonna slam into emergency mode. Once we have it, we gotta move quickly, so you definitely need to time it right."

But before any of them could react to the plan, the alarm goes off with a loud siren. Startled, the four of them stood up as they watch Groot hold out to them the quarnyx battery that Loki was supposed to get.

"...or we could just get it first and improvise," Loki offered.

"I'll get the armband," Gamora said before dashing off.

The same goes for Quill who dashed the prisoner with a prosthetic leg. Loki and Rocket, on the other hand, ran to Groot who was confused about what was happening at the moment.

"You idiot!" Rocket chided as he climbed up to Groot's shoulder. "How am I supposed to fight these things without my stuff?"

"Right, blame the tree," hissed Loki with a glare. He turned back when he noticed guards were surrounding them.

"The animal is in control," he heard one reported. "Fire on my command!"

"Oh, hey, fellas," Loki began, he raised his hands in defense when the soldier aimed their guns at them. "Do you have to shoot a tree? I mean he's a little - you know - cuckoo."

One guard raised his fist to the others to signal stop.

"Way to go," he heard Rocket whisper behind him. "Now kill them."

"The tree violated the code of-"

"Yeah, about that. You shouldn't be firing at someone who was just satisfying their curiosity, right? And instead of focusing on the tree..." he trailed off with a smirk. "You should focus on what's behind."

Screams and gasps were heard from the prison guards as Drax launched himself at them. On the process, he threw two guns at Loki and Rocket which they quickly took and started firing at the frozen guards.

"Now this is what I call 'Jail Riot'," muttered Loki to himself but did not go unheard by Rocket.

"So, you've seen one before?" he asked with a smirked.

Loki nodded and shot another one that was chasing Quill at the second level.

"I've been into one, actually," he answered.

"A troublemaker, too, aren't you?" Rocket taunted.

Loki didn't grace him with an answer as he continued to shoot the guards while they backed away towards the tower.

"So, how much for your necklace?"

If Groot didn't push him away on time, he would have been shot by one of the guards. Loki glanced at Rocket incredulously and saw him smirking.

Unconsciously, Loki touched the necklace which he put an enchantment on before they entered Kyln to make it invisible to everybody else.

He was caught off guard at the sudden question. Had his magic glitched? How did he saw the necklace when it was supposedly invisible?

"You're not just a normal Jotun prince, right boy?" Rocket continued at the dumbfounded look on his face. "Well, you might as well be pricey than Quill if that's the case."

* * *

 **~Stark Tower~**

"I'm going to say this once," Steve warned, pointing a finger at her father threateningly.

After their brief encounter, the four of them arrived at the lab just in time to witness Tony and Bruce tinkering with the Cradle again. The percentage of their progress is undefinable at the moment to Clio.

"How about 'nonce'," mocked Tony whilst still tinkering the Cradle.

Clio's brows scrunched at his reply. There are times when she found her father's quirkiness and stubbornness amusing but this wasn't one of them.

"Shut it down!" ordered Steve; his tone was urgent and angry.

She couldn't blame him though. They have been on edge since the Ultron incident back at the party. The possibility of having another one is not very thrilling. And to think Tony would have learned his lesson.

"Nope, not going to happen," answered again the billionaire stubbornly.

"You don't know what you're doing," spat Steve as he glared at the two scientists.

Bruce scoffed at his statement. "And you do? She's not in your head?" he challenged while he pointed towards Wanda.

Clio stared at the usually calm scientist in disbelief. "Dr. Banner, I thought you knew better," she accused.

The doctor bowed his head but still stood his ground.

"I know you're angry," the Maximoff girl cautiously said.

"Oh, we're way past that. I could choke the life out of you and never change a shade," he threatened dangerously that even Clio shuddered. She hasn't witnessed this doctor so angry before and with the calm rage in his eyes, she suddenly wanted to warn Wanda to run.

"Banner, after everything that's happened…" Steve said in disbelief.

"We just want to have a better world!" shouted Stark, defending his co-scientist. "You don't know what it feels like living in fear and anxiety; that any moment there could be another invasion and we couldn't do anything."

Clio gazed at him in disbelief. What she was seeing was a total stranger from the one whom she admired and loved the most since she was a child. What she was seeing right now wasn't her father anymore who was obsessed with taking control of the world because he knows what's better.

"So you think you know better? You know what's best for the world?" asked Clio before she could stop herself. The pain and anger from finding out the truth suddenly resurfaced in the sea of everything she was feeling right now.

Tony turned to her confused. "What is that supposed to mean?" he asked back; his tone had a tint of frustration at dealing this with his daughter.

She curled her fist tightly trying to stop herself but she could already feel the words at the tip of her tongue. She bit her lower lip hard enough that blood might appear any moment from it.

"Clio," Tony called out; urging her to explain further.

And then something inside her exploded.

"It's 'Cliomeghria'," she cut him off before she could stop her mouth.

Clio noted how her father's face paled and how big his eyes widened at her statement. Everyone in the room fell silent as the two stared at each other.

"Yeah, I know everything now. About all the lies that you've hidden from me and everybody else," she proceeded and closed her eyes shut trying to swallow down the anger that was bubbling inside her chest with difficulty. "But this is not the time for that."

She opened her eyes and met her foster father's dark gaze.

"The Avengers – it's a team. You are supposed to help each other avenge the world!" she continued as she gazed at everyone in the room. "If you continue to do what you plan on doing to the cradle what are the odds it won't turn out to be just like Ultron?"

"J.A.R.V.I.S isn't anything like Ultron," defended Stark after some time. "We can't win against him. What we've seen before, well that's nothing compared to what's coming!"

"You don't know what's in there!" cried Wanda in frustration.

"I don't?" Stark asked in disbelief. He glanced at everyone in the room challenging them to speak before glancing back at Wanda. Anger and hatred flash before his eyes before he walked over to her, his finger pointing at her direction. "You put an image of my comrades dying in my head. Bruce, Rogers, Clint, Nat - all of them while the Chitauri continued to invade Earth."

Everyone was silent at the sudden revelation. No one dared to speak as Tony continued to lash out on Wanda.

Tony pointed at Clio. "I saw my daughter crumpled to the ground bathing with her blood - lifeless and all I did was watch. Why? Because I did nothing!" he shouted the last statement. "Now, I have something, something that could help and you want me to stop?"

"This isn't a game," Steve tried to say once again. "This is a risky gamble and you know it!"

Tony opened his mouth to retort but Pietro, having had enough, used his speed to destroy some of the lab equipment. With the light flickering on and off, they all gazed at him in awe.

"Pietro..."

"No, no. Go on, you were saying?" he coaxed but a gunshot was fired from below making the glass he was standing on fall apart.

"Pietro!"

Clio rushed over to him and saw Clint pointing a gun at the Maximoff boy. Wanda also rushed to where his brother landed but was suddenly held back by Banner.

"Go ahead, piss me off," he threatened dangerously. His glare turned to Clio who tried to stop them and challenged her to come to help her newfound friend. His eyes were flashing with anger.

The glare made her paused and hesitate. His vein was having a shade of green and she feared that if she tried to, he'd turn into the beast. Wanda gave her a warning gaze to stay back down.

Unbeknownst to the doctor, Clio tried to summon her energy but then a hand grabbed her wrist to stop. She glanced surprisingly to find her adopted father staring at her while holding her wrist.

"Trust us," he muttered to her.

But before anyone could react, thunder cracked the ceiling from up above and Thor landed on the cradle.

Clio's eyes widened when she realized what Thor was about to do as he summoned his lightning.

"No, Thor! Don't!" she screamed but it was too late. Thor released a powerful bolt of lightning over the cradle. The sudden surge of energy sped up the development of the body inside the cradle.

Lights flicker on and off as they watched in horror when the body started to rise from the cradle.

Tony pulled her back when it suddenly launched itself at Thor who threw it up in the air and stopped itself when it was about to crash over the window.

Steve made a move to fend off the body when the God of Thunder stopped him.

Clio broke free from her father's grasp as she gazed in confusion at the new body in front of them. It was staring out of the window before it visibly relaxed.

Slowly, it turned to them and floated over. "I'm sorry, that was odd," it spoke.

Clio gasped and glanced at her adopted father at the sound of its voice. "J.A.R.V.I.S?" she asked but Tony's attention wasn't to her but the new body in front of them.

"Thor, you helped create this?" Steve demanded.

Thor glanced at them warily. A grim expression was visible on his face. "I've had a vision. A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life and it's center is that" he explained as he pointed at the gem that was located at the forehead of the new body with her favorite A.I.'s voice.

"What, the gem?" Bruce asked in confusion

"It's the Mind Stone. It's one of the six Infinity Stones, the greatest power in the universe, unparalleled in its destructive capabilities," Thor explained.

"Then why would you bring it to-"

"Stark is right."

Silence descended upon the group at the statement.

"Oh, it's definitely the end times," Bruce muttered more to himself but due to the silence wafting around the room, it was overheard by most.

"The Avengers cannot defeat Ultron no matter how much we all try," the God of Thunder said while glancing at the others, gauging their reactions.

"Well, not alone," the body supplied.

Without tearing her gaze to the new body, Clio asked. "Why does this 'Vision' sound like JARVIS?"

"We reconfigured JARVIS' matrix to create something new," Tony explained.

"I think I've had my fill of new," Steve muttered to which Clio nodded in agreement.

"I have to say that I agree with Cap," she spoke.

Despite her unwavering trust to Thor, she couldn't help but doubt it. When she glanced at Wanda, she too, was wary. She knew what she saw. She felt the fear and terror she felt when she saw what's inside Ultron's head.

"You think I'm a child of Ultron?" it said.

"Aren't you?" she asked back.

"Hm, I'm not Ultron. I'm not JARVIS. I am what I am," it explained.

Wanda moved forward next to Clio. "I looked in your head and saw annihilation," she accused.

"Then look again," it challenged.

"Their powers, the horrors in our heads, Ultron himself, they all came from the Mind Stone," Thor continued to explain. Everyone was silent. "They're nothing compared to what it can unleash. But with it on our side-"

"Is it?" cut Steve before he glanced at the creature. "Are you? On our side?"

"I don't think it's that simple," it answered.

Clio clenched her fist. "Then make it simple because everybody's on edge since morning," she hissed.

The situation was already getting into her nerves. And with her newfound knowledge of the lies her adoptive father had been keeping, she was so close to wreaking havoc.

"I'm on the side of life," it tried to supply. "Ultron isn't, he will end it all."

"What's he waiting for?" Tony asked as he folded his arms on his chest.

Clio noted the distance her adoptive father put up between them.

"You," it answered then glanced at Clio. "And your daughter."

Clio's brows scrunched in confusion. She glanced at Thor for an explanation but the God of Thunder was staring at her with a grim expression which she was starting to hate seeing on her dear friend's face. Nothing good ever comes out with that kind of expression.

"What does it mean?" she asked when Thor was still silent.

With a sigh, he grabbed her by the shoulder. "You need to go back to Asgard," he stated with an even tone. "This fight, it's something that you are not supposed to be in it."

Clio stared at her most trusted friend. Anger and hurt bubbled inside her chest.

"Why?" she asked through gritted teeth. "Is it because of what I am? Is that it?"

Thor pursed his lips. "This I cannot explain further. I'm sorry," he muttered apologetically.

More secrets? the voice inside her head spoke but no hints of taunt and malice like most of the time. This time, it also sounded hurt and curious. Maybe it was sympathizing with her which only fueled up the hurt she was feeling. She felt like an abandoned child whom no one wants.

"Hold up a second," Tony spoke up and walked towards them. "This is uncalled for. What do you mean by-"

Clio summoned a force between her and Tony trying to give them distance. The latter stumbled back surprised. She couldn't deal with him at the moment.

"Sugarplum?"

"I'm tired," she growled as she bowed her head to hide the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes. "I'm tired of always being in the dark."

The black mist started appearing around her. Her head was pounding and her ears were ringing. The anger that she was trying to simmer down was overflowing. The hurt that she was feeling was bursting.

"Why do you have to keep everything from me?" she hissed as she slapped Thor's hand off her shoulder. The God of Thunder stumbled back as the black mist started swirling around her.

"Clio!" she heard Wanda called out from the ringing in her ears. She could feel her powers trying to get into her mind, probably to calm her down but she waved it off with a flick of her wrist.

She could feel Loki's pendant on her neck grew heavier as it tried to stop the raging inferno in her heart.

Her mind went back to the second time she met Loki at the cliff.

"We are very much the same yet different, you see. At the least, from the very start, you knew you were adopted and come to live the rest of your life knowing who you are. Whilst I've been lied to about my parentage, about what I truly am," He lamented with a clenched fist.

'Was this how you truly felt, Loki?' she asked in her thoughts. 'Is this what you were trying to tell me back at the cliff?'

"CLIO!" someone shouted in the background. She could barely hear it due to the ringing of her ears. Her body shook or was it being shaken? She felt her shoulder being squeezed so hard yet she barely felt it too. All she could feel was the pain and anger that was squeezing her chest.

She was not human, she knew that. Her mother? Dead. Her father? Probably. Her adoptive father? He lied to her about her true nature. He knew from the start. And now she was still being kept from the dark.

"You know, adopting you were and will always be the best decision I ever made in my entire life."

Her mind flashed back to the moments Tony was there by her side. 'He may not be a perfect father but at least he stuck around.' She heard the voice in her head tell her. 'I'm not siding with him or anything. But losing your head on this will not help you. Besides, you're shutting me out the more you grow stronger.'

And that's when she heard it. That's when she felt it: someone squeezing her so hard and someone crying.

Slowly, she opened her eyes to which it widened at the sight. Her adoptive father clinging to her so hard. The black mist that was surrounding her was suffocating and hurting him yet he clung to her as if afraid she would disappear from him.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he muttered all over. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for keeping it from you. I should have told you already. Clio, please. I'm afraid you'll disappear if you find out. Don't go, please." His fears of losing her, his nightmares of seeing everyone dead, she can feel it too.

Tears welled up in her eyes and flow down her cheeks freely. A warm sensation spread all over her chest trying to warm up the icy confines of pain she was feeling a while ago.

Soon, the black mist that was surrounding her vanished from thin air. The room came into sight. The air became bearable. And everyone was watching her cautiously from Tony's arms.

She saw Thor readied his stance and so did Steve whereas Barton aimed his guns at her when she raised her hands. But instead of doing something they thought would harm Tony, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him back.

"Daddy," her lips trembled as she spoke.

She felt him squeezed her back in relief. "I'm here, Sugarplum," he reassured. "I'll always be here."

"I'm sorry," she apologized as she buried her face in his chest. "I'm sorry for being so angry."

"It's not your fault. It's my fault," he comforted as he rubbed her back. "I'm sorry."

"I hate to interrupt," said Vision as it pointed at Clio. "But seconds ago, she was ready to kill everyone in the room with her dark aura. Should I take her down?"

"NO!" everyone in the room yelled in unison.

Vision blinked in surprise but nodded nonetheless. "Still, Thor is right. Ultron wants her for two reasons: because she is Stark's most important person, and because she responds to the six infinity stones."

Thor sighed and walked over to her. "I think you misunderstood what I was trying to say, dear friend," Thor began and watched her nodded in embarrassment. "But I could not put any blame on you since I know you've been carrying a heavyweight."

"But the reason why is that Odin will have a vast idea of what Vision was trying to say. First, you must need to learn the truth from your father," he continued; giving Tony a pointed glare.

Clio slowly untangled herself from her father's grasp and stared at him intently. "That doesn't matter at the moment," she said determinedly. "I'm not going back to Asgard knowing all of you are risking your lives. I'm going to help you protect Earth if that's the last thing I will do here."

Thor regarded her intently before a genuine smile spread on his face. "We are not risking our lives here," he said and ruffled her hair. "But I admire you for putting the curiosity of your past behind you and putting the safety of Midgard first. And you're right, we need every manpower we can get. I apologize for making you go back to Asgard, my lady." He finished off with a sincere bow.

Clio blushed at the gesture and waved it off. "That won't be necessary, Thor!" she complained before clearing her throat. She glanced at Tony and smiled at him. "Dad, I'll be hearing your story later, okay?"

Tony returned her smile and kissed her forehead. "I can't wait," he answered then his expression turned serious. "But first, where the hell is my robotic child?"

* * *

 **A/N:** Hi! Okay, I think I might have miscalculated on my timings. I was planning to finish this story before December but then I realized the events that was planned out for this story won't make it on time. I don't want to cut other things so we'll be extending till next year. Besides, I'd be too late to update due to my busy schedule. I'm trying my best to proofread it as much as I can.

Hopefully, you haven't forgotten this story yet.

Thank you for reading beyond this point since it only meant that you've read the whole chapter. Please leave any remarks or ideas below if you find something confusing. Thank you!


	31. BONUS CHAPTER

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Marvel Franchise and its Characters. I only own my OC's.**

 **A/N:** This took place in **Chapter 14** after Loki and Clio had a heart to heart talk and before he goes back to Asgard.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 30.5:**

 **BONUS: CHRISTMAS SPECIAL**

* * *

Clio woke up feeling refreshed and, despite the tragedy befall on them the other day, a smile appeared on her lips. She decided today was going to be a good day. There's no point scolding her father. What's done is done. There was no need to linger at the past, anyway.

"Good morning, Clio. You seemed to be in a good mood today," the A.I. commented when she called him out.

She walked over to her bathroom, humming as she prepared for the day.

"It's a beautiful day, JARVIS," she commented with a chuckle. "I don't think a frown is appropriate for it."

"Indeed," agreed the A.I.

After she took a quick shower, she started combing her dark locks and noted silently the length of it remembering the last time she took a haircut.

"Hmm," she uttered as she stared at her mirror. Her hair almost reached her waist line to her slight surprise. Did time pass so quick?

"Anything the matter, Clio?" the A.I asked

"Do you remember the last time I took a haircut?"

"Indeed, I do," the A.I. answered. "Your last haircut was eight months ago. Should I call your favorite hairdresser and schedule your appointment?"

She smiled widely at the suggestion of her favorite A.I. She loved JARVIS, having him while growing up felt really like home.

"Thanks, J. You're the best," she said before walking out of her room and into the elevator.

She pressed the floor to the living area. "Don't tell me Dad's holed up inside his laboratory again? she asked with a raised brow.

After they managed to extract the extremis from Pepper's body, he started looking for more ways to extract the organism inside her body. She tried pointing out to him that it might be an impossible feat but he was stubbor as always. As much as she didn't like his idea, she was grateful for it. She was grateful for Tony Stark.

"No, on the contrary, he's out today," answered the A.I.

Clio's brows rose in surprise. "Today? It's still early in the morning. Did he go for a jog?" she asked when she noticed her watch turning just 7:12 in the morning. Which was unusual since Tony has a schedule for a jog and today wasn't one of them.

"Today is the 27th day of December. It's also the death anniversary of your grandparents and your 26th birthday. Happy birthday, Clio," the A.I. greeted before the elevator door opened to her designated floor.

Her mouth gaped open at the realization. How come the dates never occured to her until now? She tried not to celebrate her birthday but having Tony Stark as a father, he would plan to throw her a grand party

She just didn't feel like this date at all. It was the day he found her. Her birth date was a reminder that she will never be Tony Stark's daughter and that put a familiar pain in her chest. Being adopted was never an issue to her until the press and media started harrassing her about it when she started appearing publicly with Tony which truly was a low blow to her. That's the reason why she chose not to be on the spotlight too much whenever her father was in it.

"Thanks, J," she replied as she changed her floor destination to the garage. "Tell, Pepper and Loki that I'll be gone for a moment."

"Certainly, Clio."

* * *

She watched him from a distance. His head bowed over the two tombstones on the ground. She suddenly felt bad waking up happily a while ago and forgetting their death anniversary.

Tony used to tell her stories about Maria Stark – how loving of a mother she was and how graceful of a woman she once was. She loved how much Tony admired and adored his mother. She would have loved her as much as he did if she was ever alive.

But Howard Stark, well, she rarely heard Tony talk about his late father. All she knew as that he was the founder of Stark Industries and the creator of the Super Soldier Serum. She often wondered if he was alive would they get along just fine? Or would he be cold and calculating just like what Tony used to tell her.

A sniff was heard from the background that snapped her out of her reverie. Tony, with his glasses on, was murmuring his prayers to his deceased parents. She was lucky enough that she grew up with a father like Tony.

"Found you," she spoke after some time.

Tony whirled around, startled at her sudden appearance.

"Hey, Sugarplum," he greeted back. He put an arm around her shoulder and kissed her temples. "Happy 26th birthday, baby girl."

"Thanks, Dad," she replied and hugged his side tightly. They both stared at the tombstone on the ground silently.

"Mom would have been overjoyed if she met you," he commented after some time.

"I would have adored her too," she replied with a nod. "And grandpa Howard, too."

Tony heaved a heavy sigh. "I don't want to be like him," he confessed

Clio scowled at his statement and glanced sideway. "What do you mean?" she asked in confusion.

"He was always so cold to me ever since I was a kid. I even thought he never wanted me," he explained.

"That's not true! I'm sure grandpa loved you in his own ways," she defended. The reason? She didn't know. She barely knew Howard Stark but she suddenly have the urge to comfort Tony about it.

"Yeah, I know he did," Tony said softly.

"And you're nothing like him, like ever," she added, a little to intense to emphasize her point. Tony glanced at her in surprise. "You may be stubborn but you will always be the best dad for me. I wouldn't even think of trading you for another dad. Not ever."

Tony's mouth gaped open at her remarks. Silence descended upon them and only the chirping birds were heard from the background.

Clio glanced at him and saw him secretly wiped his eyes. "Dad?" she called out worriedly.

"Yep?" he quickly retracted his hand away from his face and turned to her. Despite the glasses he was wearing, she could clearly see how red and glassy his eyes were.

"I love you," she said and leaned towards him.

"Love you too, Sugarplum. Thank you for coming here," he replied and kissed her forehead.

"So, what do you want to do today? Yacht party? Disco party? Infiltrate the biggest laboratory in states? Go to the zoo?"

She rolled her eyes "Zoo? I'm not a kid anymore, Dad," she pointed out jokingly.

"Stop growing up, you wacko," he chided teasingly and chuckled. "Oh, if I could just stop the time."

"Please don't. We all know how that will end. You might just invent a time machine in the future," she groaned.

Tony laughed lightly and ruffled her freshly combed hair. "I just might, you know," he answered.

Clio slapped her father's chest lightly to stop his upcoming remarks. "Why don't we just have a simple dinner with the others? We can call Nat, Dr. Banner and the others over. Besides, after everything that's happened, I don't think Pepper can handle the stress of a grand party," she suggested to which Tony seemed to consider her request.

"Alright, wish granted," he said after some time. "Are you planning to go back to Asgard?"

Clio was silent for a moment before she shook her head. "I've got my hands full here," she answered and smiled at him. "Besides, I'm feeling quite better now."

"What about Rock of Ages?" he asked with a scowl on his face. "I swear that man is infuriating – him and his Asgardian accent."

"Both of you are infuriating," she pointed out. "It's a good thing I'm healthy or else I'd be dealing a serious heart attack."

"Touché," he agreed and then gave her a frown. "What's going on between you two? I don't like it."

"What do you mean between us?" she asked suddenly nervous. She never had a type of talk like this with her father. Well, boys were never an issue to them since she was so adapted to her studies that the thought of boys never even crossed her mind until now.

"Don't play innocent with me, Clio Isabela Stark," he rebuked that made Clio pursed her lips. "He's a killer maniac. Have you forgotten what he did to New York? That guy is a psycho."

Clio glanced at her father in disbelief. A slight pang of pain hit her chest at the way her father was badmouthing the God of Mischief.

"Dad, you know he's been brainwashed doing it. He changed already," she defended with a scowl. "We all made mistakes and we learned from it the hard way. You make mistakes but that doesn't mean that my love for you lessened."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "So, you love him?" he asked.

Clio was taken aback by the question. She could feel her face suddenly heating up. "W-What do you m-mean I l-love him?" she stammered; her heart started hammering crazy when she remembered Loki's gently smile last night and how his lips touched her forehead. "That guy? Why d-did you suddenly asked that? T-That's not even m-my point!"

Tony stared at her intensely that made her regret coming here. Do fathers do this to their daughters? She was about to open her mouth to rebuke when suddenly, he chuckled.

"Your face is all red!" he teased, chuckle turning to laughter.

Clio rubbed her face and glared at him. "It's not funny!" Her other hand clutched her heart to calm her down.

"It is!" Tony argued but his laughing fits slowly died down into a wheeze. "Oh, god. Okay, sorry."

Her face was morphed into annoyance and her glare never wavered until his grin was the only ones teasing her.

"Done?"

"Yes," he answered with a grin before his face turned serious again. "Clio, you're in the right age where you know what's best for you and what's not. There are times when I need to step in as your father for your own sake."

"I know that," Clio murmured. Will he step in between whatever she and Loki have? After she and the God of Mischief made amends last night?

Tony sigh. "But as long as you're happy then I'll support you in any way," he stated and put a hand on top of her head.

Her eyes widened at his statement. What's this? Was he giving her the blessing? The blessig for what? For forming a bond with Loki? A smile broke on her face at his statement. "Thanks, Daddy."

Tony smiled back and put an arm around her shoulders. "I still don't like him, though."

"Give him a chance to prove himself," she said.

"That's for me to decide. Now , let's go back. Rhodey and Happy were baking cake before I left," he said.

"Really?" she asked; overwhelmed and flattered at their effort.

"Yeah, let's pray they did not burn the place down."

* * *

When they arrived back at the tower, chaos greeted them.

Rhodey and Happy were both wearing apron and were arguing like a married couple. Between them, on top of the island, was what seemed to be a black lump.

"It says here it should be in the oven for 45 minutes!" Happy argued as he pointed something on the cookbook to which Rhodey sighed frustrated at the man before him.

"Yes, it should be 45 minutes in the oven with a heat of 325 FAHRENHEIT and not CELSIUS! If you convert that to Celsius, it's going to be 162 degrees! And the oven is Celsius modified!" Rhodey barked.

"Woah, Woah, Woah," Tony held up a hand at the two. "What's the fuss?"

Clio walked over to the island and poked the thing. "Is this a bread?" she asked in confusion at the crispy texture. She covered her nose when the burning smell wafted her nostrils.

"It's supposed to be a chocolate cake or whatever you mortals call it," a deep voice answered which did not belong to any of the three earlier.

Clio whirled around to find the god of mischief leaning at the doorway looking both amused and bored at the same time. The sight of him wearing a white shirt and black sweatpants made her heart do several wild flips. Her mouth hung open in shock. She had seen Steve Rogers and even Thor in that kind of clothing but they did not add up to the charisma Loki put in that mortal clothing.

"Like what you see?" he snickered and gave her his usual trademark smirk. Blessed her soul! How can this man be hot and be cold at the same time? It did not even help that she suddenly remembered what Tony asked her a while ago.

Her face reddened when she realized what he had said. "I-I don't know what you are talking about," she stammered and looked away from him and to Tony who rolled his eyes at her.

"The cake is dead as a corpse," Tony commented at the burnt bread.

"No, shit," Rhodey muttered.

"Yeah, I told you we should stick to the recipe book!" Happy accused Rhodey who sighed frustratingly.

"—Uh, why don't we just—" Clio tried to but in but Rhodey cut her off.

"-Stick to the recipe book, he says! Yet you didn't even read every single word that is written inside. What's she going to get on her birthday now-"

"—It's okay, I don't mind not having cake—"

"—Why don't you cook instead—"

"—Uh—"

A metal clanging on the ground so loud made the three jumped, startled.

"You are done playing the married couple?" Tony asked with his arms folded on his chest. Impatience was seeping off his face. "It's a cake! Let's just buy her a cake! Are you okay with the idea?"

The two were silent for a moment with Clio in between them with a grateful smile at the interruption.

Happy sighed and took off his apron after some time. "Caramel cake it is," he muttered under his breath.

"Hey, we agreed to Chocolate. What happened to that?" Rhodey asked as he followed Happy towards the elevator.

Once the two were out of sight, Tony turned towards her with a sigh. "I'll make arrangements with the dinner. I'll call Pepper for the plan, is that alright for you?"

Clio nodded. "More than alright! Thank you."

"Anything for you, Birthday Girl," he replied and kissed her temple before walking towards the exit.

"Today is your name day?" Loki asked in surprise.

"No shit, Captain Obvious," Tony called out from the outside to which Clio shook her head at her father's quirkiness.

"Yes," she replied as she walked towards him.

"I'm sorry," he muttered when she stopped just a few meters from him.

Clio raised a brow. "For what?" she asked.

"I didn't know it was your name day. If I had known, I would have given you a gift," he confided solemnly.

Clio chuckled lightly. "It's fine. Besides, it's not, really, my birthday," she stated.

"What do you mean?"

"It is just the date when my dad found me," she explained as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

He stared her down with an intense gaze that made her heartbeat wildly. She gazed at his beautiful green hues. She'd never tire of staring at those hues and even if she'd lose her memories, she'd remember these.

"What?" she asked, chuckling when he never wavered his gaze. "Is something wrong?"

"What do you want me to do?" he asked in all seriousness.

"Huh?"

"It's your name day, you should ask something from me," he explained. "Anything, as long as it's within my powers."

Clio stared at him incredulously. "What? No, that's not necessary at all!"

"I insist. You know stubborn I am, woman. You have me at your command," he insisted.

Clio shook her head again but the determination in his eyes never wavered. Why can't he just gave her a gift rather than like this? She didn't know what to ask him-- an idea rang inside her head like a bell so suddenly. "Anything?" she asked; her eyes twinkling with mischief.

Loki raised a brow at her sudden show of giddiness. "Yes," he answered nonetheless.

A Cheshire grin appeared on her face. "I'm not going to like it, do I?" Loki asked again to which Clio chuckled at.

* * *

"When I said 'anything', I didn't know it would turn out like this," Loki muttered under his breath as he cringed when his hair was pulled.

Clio huffed. "Stop squirming!" she complained.

"What is it with you and my hair?" Loki grumbled as he watched her behind on the mirror of the bathroom.

He was sitting inside her bathtub with nothing but pants on. She requested to wash and pamper his hair. 'Ridiculous,' he thought. Usually, he'd reject the idea but since it was her name day, he had no choice but to agree.

"Wow, I thought your hair was greasy!" Clio said incredulously and looked over at his shoulder with a grin. "Turns out, it's the opposite."

'Is this girl a scientist?' he thought to himself as he watched her grin triumphantly as if washing his hair was something to be called a victory.

Well, it was worth it anyway. He'd never forget the way her face turned red as a tomato when he stripped his shirt in front of her. It sent satisfaction to him when he saw her ogle at his abdomen. He might not be as packed as Thor but he was damn well built.

"I don't know whether I should be offended or be flattered," Loki said as he sighed. "I wash my hair, too, for your information. And you just wasted your wish for something stupid."

She was silent. For a moment there, Loki thought he'd offended her but then he saw a soft smile appeared on her face in the mirror. His heart suddenly thumped wildly in his chest. Her beauty knows no bounds!

"I didn't waste it," she remarked.

"What do you mean?" he asked with a scowl on his face.

She glanced up and stared at him through the mirror. A tint of red on both of her cheeks as she sported a genuine smile that seemed to light up the entire room. "I get to spend time with you, don't I?"

Loki covered his mouth suddenly to hide the sudden smile that split on his face. "Idiot," he murmured.

Clio chuckled as she washed his hair with water before she dried it with a clean towel. "All done!" she exclaimed as Loki stood up from the tub.

She watched him wiped the excess water that flowed down his biceps, chest and on to his abs. Before she made a fool of herself, she suddenly stood up and turned her back to him before marching out to the bathroom and in her bedroom with Loki in tow.

She threw him his shirt from the ground to which he caught with ease. "Put that on," she demanded without looking at him.

She heard him shuffle, indicating he was putting on the clothes. She went over to her dresser and grabbed a brush. When she glanced at the mirror in front of her, he was standing right behind her so close.

Startled, she turned around suddenly tripping from her carpeted floor. Loki held out his arm to catch her. Their position turned out to be more compromising than any position they've ever been to.

"L-Loki," she muttered as she could his hot breath fanning her face. He tucked a stray hair behind her ear and stared at her with longing. Her heart began hammering crazy in her chest. Loki was the only one who can do that.

"What else do you want?" he asked softly. "Just ask me anything."

Her cheeks were heating up and she could feel sweet electricity that passed through her spine and down to her toes. There were flutters of butterflies inside her stomach and she suddenly wished to be closer to him; to feel his skin on hers, to never let him go anymore.

As if reading her mind, he dipped his face slowly closer to hers. Her eyes automatically closed as she waited for his lips. She could already feel his hot breath near her lips.

"Clio, I hate to interrupt," JARVIS spoke up suddenly making the two jumped from each other, startled. "But Mr. Rock-of-Ages have visitors waiting for him at the living area."

"V-Visitors?" she mumbled, a little out of breath; her head clearing slowly. Her lips burned from the yearning she had felt a while ago.

She glanced at Loki who was staring at her. Annoyance from the interrupted actions they were about to make was visible on his face.

She, too, was disappointed of the interruption. But at the same time, she was a bit relieved by it. She didn't know if her heart could take it of the continued further anyways.

"Yes," the A.I. answered. "They said they're names are Hogun and Volstagg."

Clio's eyes widened at the name. "O-oh! W-we'll be there. Thanks, J," she replied.

"Certainly, Clio."

Silence enveloped the room as the two stared at each other. Realization slowly hit them. "They're here," she murmured.

Loki could only nod his answer.

"We should go see them," she offered to which he nodded again. But neither of them moved an inch and she thought no one was planning to until he cleared his throat and beckoned her over to him.

"Let's go," he said. They both exited her bedroom and into the elevator just outside her bedroom door.

The ride up to the living area was quiet and awkward. Her head hung low. They're going to take him back now. She suddenly felt a heavyweight on her chest at the thought.

"What's the frown for?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"Well, you're going back," she answered truthfully and glanced at him.

"' You're'? You mean, you're not coming back with me?" he asked, surprised.

She realized she never told him of her plans to stay and now she suddenly felt guilty.

"For now," she immediately supplied. "I have so much to take care here first and I couldn't just leave it behind. But I promise I'll come back."

Loki opened his mouth to reply but closed it when the elevator door opened.

In the living area, Volstagg and Hogun were sitting on the sofa. Their big weapons were out of place with the white couch. Pepper was at the other couch, chatting with the two.

"Ah, there they are!" Volstagg cheered when he noticed them.

"Hi," she greeted and gave the two a hugged. "How is Asgard?"

"Asgard is shining like a golden torch as always, my lady," Hogun answered to which she nodded.

"I hear it's your Name Day?" Volstagg asked with a joyous grin. "Ha! I should have gone and got you something! A horn of a golden stag from one of my hunts would be lovely! I will give it to you later in Asgard."

"Oh, actually, I'm not coming back yet," she answered with a sad voice.

"What?" Volstagg asked, confused. He glanced at Loki who was behind them with a grim expression.

"There's something that I need to do here, first. But I'll come back, I promise!" she explained.

The two were silent and glanced at each other. "Well, if that's the case then we can't stop you, can we?" Volstagg supplied.

"Yeah," she muttered.

"Well, it's time then. Odin wanted Loki back immediately. And he's not happy about him leaving the kingdom," Volstagg added.

"So soon?" Pepper, who was watching the whole conversation, piped up. "But can't you guys stay for dinner?"

"Yeah," Clio added, surprised. She thought she still get to spend time with Loki until dinner; until her birthday ends. "It's just a few more hours."

"As much as I want to taste the delicious fillings of Midgard has to offer, alas, we can't," Volstagg said sadly; almost dramatically when it comes to food. "We have urgent matters to attend to. Odin required Loki's presence immediately."

"Oh, that's unfortunate," Pepper said with a sad smile. "The others would have love to meet you."

"Aye, apologies for our sudden exit, My Lady," Hogun said with a bow.

Pepper shook her head and waved it off politely.

She glanced at Loki when he suddenly grabbed her arm. "Loki?" she asked in confusion. A frown was present in his godly face. He, too, didn't want to go just yet.

"Just tell me," Loki muttered only to hers. "Tell me not to leave and I won't."

"What?"

"You heard me," he said, almost desperately. "Make it one of your wishes. I'll stay."

Clio stared at his eyes; how desperate he was to stay with her here despite Odin's demand. Her heart fluttered with merit and happiness to which was immediately crush when Volstagg spoke again.

"That can't do, Prince Loki," Volstagg piped in when he heard their conversation. The two stared at the warrior in confusion. "King Odin is furious when he learned that you left Asgard without his consent. Disobeying your father now will only fuel his anger."

"I don't care," Loki hissed and glared at Volstagg.

"Loki," Clio scold lightly. She wanted him to stay and be selfish for once. But then she suddenly heard herself saying, "Go."

"What?" he asked; surprised and hurt were present in his eyes.

"I want you to stay, really I do," she explained and smiled sadly. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently for reassurance. "But I don't want you to start disobeying Odin, not after he pardoned you from all your crimes. Besides, it's not like you'll never see me again. I'll come back soon."

Loki stared at her eyes. Now that she explained things, his eyes held understanding and gratitude.

He grabbed her face and kissed her forehead. "I'll come back and get you when you're ready," he promised to which she nodded. "Call out for Heimdall and I'll be coming."

"Thank you," she muttered and smiled. "I'll see you soon."

After a few more moments of farewells and goodbyes, the two warriors and their prince left. The light descended from the sky and unto them when they stepped on the helipad of the tower. Loki never let his gaze waver from hers until they vanish with the light.

Pepper rubbed her shoulders comfortingly. "Are you okay, sweetie?" she asked in her motherly voice.

Clio turned around and smiled sadly at her. "Yeah," she answered and hugged her. "Thank you."

"You'll see him soon. Why the long face?" she asked.

Clio sighed. "I don't know," she muttered. "I need to stay here, Pep. For dad and for you. This is my family."

"Aw," She hugged her tightly. "Thank you for considering me as your family."

"Let's go get ready for the party, shall we?" Pepper suggested as they entered the living area. "Your dad called up the rest of the Avengers and most of them agreed. Even Fury might turn up tonight."

* * *

Despite the absence of Loki at the dinner that night, she couldn't afford to sulk upon the people who turned up tonight. And Pepper was right, even the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.S, Nick Fury, turned up wearing a Santa Hat - not a bit pleased with it.

Laughter and cheers echoed the dining area with its gold, green and red theme shining brightly to lift up the mood. The only ones not present was Barton who, explained by Natasha, had other plans and Thor, who was clearly in Asgard.

Everyone was having fun; even Dr. Banner afforded to relax and laugh at Tony's corny jokes. He even managed to crack one or two. Steve Rogers, still new to everything around him, managed to have fun.

A smile broke on her face as she watched from a distance. Her birthday wasn't so bad after all with the right people. This was her family and she'll soon see Loki and Thor with this group of people. She couldn't wait for that to happen.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hey, everyone! Merry Christmas! I know it's already late but it's better late than never right? Anyways, I was having a minor writer's block over the next chapter so I made these bonus chapter. It might get me back to track. And it's a little gift from me to my dearest readers!

Thank you for reading and I promise to get on with the next chapter. Please review!


	32. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Marvel Franchise. They belong to their rightful owners.**

* * *

 **Chapter 31**

 **ESCAPE**

* * *

 **~Kyln Prison~**

Everything was a blur. There were screams and shouts and yelp of pain from the background yet Loki felt as if everything was just a blur. His head was pounding and he could feel the necklace on his neck – still lying invisible from the others – felt suddenly heavy for unknown reasons. If it wasn't for the talking tree, he'd been long shot dead and was lying on the ground of Kyln.

He showed no mercy to all the guards that got in his way as they climbed up the tower. His body was rigid and tense as he pulled the trigger of the gun he was holding. From behind, he could hear the raccoon cheering as he goes.

"Now, I know what to set you off!" the rodent sneered as they climbed the tower.

"Shut it," Loki growled as Gamora pulled them up.

"What's with him?" he heard Quill whispered to Rocket from behind when he violently sliced the guard that was sitting inside the tower.

The five of his companion grimaced and Groot threw the guard out of the tower.

"Let's just say I have awakened the evilness inside him," Rocket answered as he took over of the tower's control panel.

That made Loki snapped out of his reverie as he turned around to glare at the rodent. He cursed under his breath and threw the knife he was holding. He suddenly let his guard down after Rocket saw the necklace. Why? Was he nervous that he would be found out? It was highly unlikely. But he knew Gamora knew him. Could he trust her? The only thing they have in common was their hatred for Thanos. Was that enough?

"Tell me you locked us up here for a reason?" Loki asked after some time. The important thing they have to do right now was to escape Kyln, deal with the Orbs and find out what Thanos' plans.

"Well, this is part of the plan," Peter answered as he pointed to Rocket.

"What about the Orb?" Loki asked. He turned to look at Gamora who was the only sane in the group.

"I know someone we can sell it to," she answered.

"Hold on a minute," Loki argued; his brows were scrunched in confusion. "We don't even know what it could do or why Ronan needs it."

"This is not the time to be chit-chatting about the orb. We'll sell it and that's that" Rocket pointed out as he continued to work on the controls.

"Agreed. We'll talk about it once we get out of here alive. But I do have one question," she added as she turned to glare at their newcomer who somehow managed to escape with them. "Why is this one here?" indicating Drax.

"We promised him he could stay by our side until he kills your boss. I always keep my promises, when they're to muscle-bound whack-jobs who will kill me if I don't," Quill answered as he put a prosthetic leg in front of Rocket. "Here you go."

Rocket looked startled at the sudden appearance of the prosthetic leg. With a glance at Quill, he said, "Oh, I was just kidding about that leg. I never thought you'd take it seriously."

"What?" blurted Quill in disbelief.

"No, I thought it'd be funny. Was it funny? Wait, what did he look like hopping around?" Rocket asked with interest that made Loki roll his eyes.

Behind them were legions of guards rounding up or probably planning for their demise yet here they were, yapping about a prosthetic leg.

"I had to transfer him 30,000 units!" Argued Quill to which the rodent began laughing at the statement.

"I don't even want to know where you got the units," Loki muttered in disbelief as he looked at Quill.

He opened his mouth to defend himself but was cut off when one of the guards shoot at the window making the tower vibrate violently.

"Shit," Loki cursed under his breath when he glanced at the window. A flying pod aimed its gun at them and started shooting. His arms automatically shielded his face. Thankfully, it didn't shatter like he was expecting.

"How are we going to leave this place?" the newcomer demanded impatiently.

"Well, he's got a plan. Right? Or is that another thing you made up?" Quill growled as he glared at the rodent.

Rocket, who was busy tinkering with the controls, yammered. "I have a plan! I have a plan!"

"Cease your yammering and relieve us from this irksome confinement," demanded the newcomer in annoyance.

"Yeah, I'll have to agree with the walking thesaurus on that one," commented Quill as he watched Rocket do his job.

"Do not ever call me a thesaurus," threatened by the newcomer who seemed to be offended by the joke.

Quill glanced at him in surprise. "It's just a metaphor, dude," he defended.

"His people are completely literal. Metaphors are gonna go over his head," explained Rocket as another round of bomb shook the tower. This time, the window's crack grew bigger.

"Nothing goes over my head," argued the brute. "My reflexes are too fast. I would catch it."

Loki sighed in frustration as he buried his face on his palm. On his left, he heard the only woman in their group mutter under her breath: "I'm gonna die surrounded by the biggest idiots in the galaxy" and he couldn't help but agree.

When Loki glanced outside the window again, he saw several guards with their big guns aiming at the tower. He cursed under his breath which heard by Quill and took a peek.

"Those are some bigger guns," Quill stated in panic at the sight of a legion forming below them. "Even bigger than the ones they used to shoot at us!"

"Rodent, we are ready for your plan," Loki warned. He buried the bubbling panic that was rising in his chest.

From below, they can hear the guards shouting instructions. "On my command! Number one!" A blast hit the window and made a big crack. The tower vibrated violently at the impact making Loki backed away from the window.

"Hold on!" warned Rocket.

"Number two!"

Another blast hit Loki and Quill's side of the tower making the others stumble back also.

"I recognize this animal," commented their newcomer as he gazed at the rodent who was busy punching buttons. "We'd roast them over a flame put as children. Their flesh was quite delicious."

"Not helping!" snapped Rocket.

"Another hit and we're done for!" yelled Loki as they watched in horror. He could deflect the next hit easily with his magic but he feared that if he used that much amount of magic, Frigga would feel it. He clenched his fist tight as his mind wrack for decisions.

"Number three! All fire on my command!" shouted again the guard from below.

"One!"

Loki cursed in old Norse and moved forward. With a waved of his wrist a green mist appeared from it. He could feel the gazes of his companion as the mist surrounded the tower.

"Two!"

"Magic," Gamora muttered in awe behind him.

"Three!"

But as he was about to deflect the blast and heightened his magic to the point where Frigga could possibly find out he's alive, Rocket pushed another button and everyone and everything went afloat.

Loki lowered his hands and his magic when no blast hit the tower. Silently, he was thankful for whatever was happening. He glanced outside the window and saw everything and everyone floating.

"He turned off the artificial gravity, everywhere but in here," Gamora commented, amazed.

Rocket turned to them with a smug grin. "Told you I had a plan."

Peter grabbed Loki's shoulder for leverage when the tower shook violently as it untangled itself from its hinges. They all watched as the booster pods that were floating with the others suddenly moved forward and attached itself to the lower part of the tower.

Loki held on to whatever was near to him as the tower lurched downwards and into the exit. Everyone held on for dear life as it staggered along the halls to which it petrified those who were within it. The tower vibrated as an explosion followed their tails.

He didn't know how long it took for the tower to stop but when it did all of them stood there in silence. Shock reverberated their system as they took deep breaths either to calm their nerves down.

"That was a pretty good plan," muttered Quill out of the blue to which snapped everyone from their reveries.

Rocket turned to them with a smug grin. He opened his mouth, probably to gloat, but Loki cut him off.

"We need to move," he ordered as he pushed a button to open the tower of the tower. They rushed towards the storage area to where their belongings were located.

Loki pulled the cloak over him and with his magic, changed his clothing to his usual wear unbeknownst to the others.

"They crumpled my pants up into a ball!" wailed the rodent of their group. "That's rude! They folded yours!" he pointed at Loki who was in the middle of tying his cloak around his shoulders.

Ignoring the grumbling rodent, he turned towards the rest of the group who was busy changing still. "Alright, we need to get to that ship over there," he pointed to the orange and blue ship outside over the corner.

"That's my ship! It's the Milano!" Quill informed them.

"Rodent and I will get the ship started. Make sure you get the Orbs," Loki ordered as Rocket jogged over towards the ship with the tree on tow but then backtracked slightly.

"Wait, who made you in-charged?" he complained but nevertheless jogged to the ship.

"I'm supposed to be the captain," grumbled Quill under his breath as he continued to go over his belongings.

Loki made a dash to follow his other companions. He summoned knives from his palms and fling it over to the three rushing guards towards them and hitting them on the chest.

"Nicely shot," he heard Rocket complimented as he tinkered about around the ship. A whirring sound indicated that the engine of the ship was back to life.

"Thanks," Loki muttered as he watched from behind the raccoon.

A scowl appeared from his face when only the green lady was dashing towards the ship.

"Where the hell is Quill?" he asked at the out-of-breath Gamora.

"He said he has to take care of something and will follow soon after," she informed them. Annoyance marred her face at the thought of what transpired between her and Quill.

Loki scowled at her statement. "How is he going to get to us?" he asked.

"He declined to share that information with me," she huffed in annoyance.

Rocket groaned. "Well, screw this, then!" he growled as he began tinkering the ship to life. "I ain't waiting for some homie with a death wish. You got the Orb, right?"

"Yes—" Gamora answered but then paused as she searched the knapsack to find the Orb missing.

Loki, who was watching idly from a distance, lifted the Orb which he secretly grabbed when the two were busy. "I hope this is not the Orb you're looking for?" he asked as he inched his way to the exit.

The two stared at him, awestruck. "What do you think you're doing, man?!" cried Rocket. "We need to leave!"

Despite his short encounter with Quill, he knew that the latter trusted him.

'A flaw,' he thought to himself. Even he could not trust himself. But, then, he found himself saving his sorry ass once again.

"No," he demanded and glared at them. He flicked his wrist slightly and the Orb vanished into green mist. He raised his other hand which was holding a knife and pointed it at them. "We will wait for that monkey.

"I never thought you have a soft spot for animals," growled Gamora but nonetheless gestured for Rocket to stop the ship.

He didn't know what made him do that. Was it because Quill reminded him of Thor? They weren't very similar when it comes to physique but Quill acted rashly with everything like Thor. He annoyed him like how Thor annoyed him when they were young.

"If we don't leave now, we will be blown to bits!" warned Rocket.

Gamora and Loki were locked into a glaring contest as some parts of the Kyln prison started exploding. Neither of the two backed down as Loki gingerly put a foot outside the ship.

After what seemed to be like a forever, with everyone in the ship were on the edge as they thought of the pending doom they were about to face, Quill cried in delight.

"Yo! Start the ship now!" he shouted from a distance.

Loki lowered his knife and as the ship started to float, he offered his arm to Quill for leverage to which the latter gratefully took before the ship took off. He pulled him inside before the door closed.

"Thanks, man," Quill said, out-of-breath from running. On his other hand lay the device that he used to blackmail him into taking him to Xandar. Must've worth something to him if he'd risk his and the others live just to get it back.

Loki grunted in response as he watched as the Kyln prison exploded behind them. He turned towards Quill and the others. Was he getting soft? Then he remembered the only sole reason for that change. Would she be proud of what he had become?

A heavyweight fell on his chest when he reminisced her. He wanted nothing more than to be with her right now. He wanted to hold her in his arms and relished her soft skin on his. But alas! That can't happen anymore.

Her safety was his top priority and if it meant not being with her in this life just to save her then he would gladly do so. It's the least he could do for her for saving him from his darkness.

'Clio,' he thought. 'Would you have been happy with someone else?' The thought brought a great deal of pain in his chest. He couldn't bear to see her be with someone else.

He shook his head. First thing's first. He needed to know Thanos's plans and that will revolve around his daughter and the Orb in his keepings.

* * *

"So, where's Ultron, right now?" Banner asked after a moment of silence. "If he's waiting for us?"

Everyone was stood there, realizing the one problem they have to face. Location.

Clint took a step forward. "Sokovia," he answered. "He's got Nat there, too. She used a Cold War-era communication technique to expose her location. It was faint but that should do it."

Banner nodded in thanks.

"He got Nat?" Clio asked, surprised to hear that the Russian Spy would even get caught. A heavyweight fell on her chest at the thought of Natasha being tortured and in pain. She's family and she can't bear to lose her too.

The horror must have shown on her face when Barton shook his head. "She's fine. It's Natasha, she can handle everything or else she wouldn't be able to communicate with us," he reassured her with a smile.

Banner, then walked up to Vision, eyes blazing with determination as he glared at him. "If we're wrong about you if you're the monster that Ultron made you be..."

"What will you do?" asked Vision; no threat was evident in his tone as he glanced at everyone. Tension swirled around the room, realizing they will destroy him if something like that could ever happen.

He sighed. "I don't want to kill Ultron. He's unique, and he's in pain. But that pain will roll over the earth, so he must be destroyed. Every form he's built, every trace of his presence on the net, we have to act now. And not one of us can do it without the others," he explained.

"Maybe I am a monster. I don't think I'd know if I were one. I'm not what you are, and not what you intended. So, there may be no way to make you trust me," he confided as he turned around. "But we need to go," he finished as he held up Thor's hammer and hands it to him.

Everyone stared in shock. Even the God of Thunder looked taken aback as he reluctantly grabbed his hammer back. Vision walks off as if nothing happened. Silence descended upon the group as they process what they had just seen. Clint opened his mouth to speak but no words came out and so he closed it again. Steve Rogers raised a brow at Thor and Tony turned to the God of Thunder in disbelief.

Clio, herself, couldn't believe that just happened. No one, not even Steve Rogers, had managed to lift Mjolnir and here comes an artificial body made of Vibranium with JARVIS voice and lifted it up as if it was an ordinary hammer. That just proved that Vision wasn't even lying or having ill intent.

Thor cleared his throat after some time. "Right," he muttered and then patted Stark on the shoulder. "Well done." He then proceeded to follow the new body to talk about a plan.

"Did he just-?" Clint asked but then was cut off when Steve patted his shoulder to either comfort his shock.

"Three minutes," he stated to everyone else in the room. "Get what you need."

Everyone nodded and scattered to get ready to leave. Clio grabbed the leather jacket that Natasha lend her at the Quinjet after the uproar in Germany with Loki. She sighed heavily and wore it, praying silently that they all get through this without anyone dying or injured.

She was about to walk back to the others when a thought occurred to her. She grabbed a red leather jacket before walking out of her room. When she entered the area where everyone was gathered, she walked over to Wanda who was looking anywhere but her.

"I guess you need a jacket?" she asked politely as she handed her the cloth.

Wanda stared at it for a moment before she shook her head. "I'm fine," she quickly countered and she heard Pietro sighed behind her.

He grabbed the jacket and throw it at her. "Stop being stubborn and wear it," he said and walked off.

Clio was about to do the same thing when Wanda stopped her. "I wanted to say thank you for trying to save me a while ago," she muttered under her breath. It was almost inaudible had it not been for the hearing of an Xhylorian that she possessed.

The black-haired maiden's eyes widened at her statement. "Y-You're welcome," she responded and smiled. "Let's finish this, shall we?"

Wanda gave out a small smile and nodded. The two of them walked over to the others who were busy devising a plan.

"No way we all get through this. If even one tin soldier is left standing, we've lost," Tony pointed out to Steve. "It's gonna be blood on the floor."

Steve shrugged. "I got no plans tomorrow night," he joked to which Tony grinned.

"I get the first crack at the big guy. Iron Man's the one he's waiting for," stated Tony.

Vision, who was walking past them, spoke, "That's true, he hates you the most."

All of them boarded the quinjet with Tony as the pilot. Steve handed out everyone an earpiece for communication as he gave a pep talk. Clio felt nervous all of a sudden. Despite having experienced a battle before, she couldn't help but feel anxious. She feared she'd go too far with her powers and she might mess it up. Her fingers lingered at the cool pendant on her neck. It was the only thing that had been keeping her powers at bay.

'Don't you trust yourself?' the voice sneered inside her head.

'No,' she quickly answered and shut the voice out. She didn't need to hear what else it was trying to say. It'll only double her anxiety.

"Ultron knows we're coming. Odds are we'll be riding into heavy fire, and that's what we signed up for. But the people of Sokovia, they didn't. So, our priority is getting them out," Steve said and nodded to Pietro, Clio, and Wanda. "The three of you, with the powers you possessed, will go to where most people are at. Get them out, quickly. Try not to cause panic."

The three nodded in agreement. Steve turned to Banner. "Banner, your priority is to find Natasha. The rest of us will try and find out what's Ultron's been building and at the same try to evacuate the others," he ordered.

"All they want is to live their lives in peace, and that's not going to happen today. But we can do our best to protect them. Keep the fight between us. Ultron thinks we're monsters and we're what's wrong with the world. This isn't just about beating him. It's about whether he's right."

* * *

Once the quinjet landed, everybody scattered to their own missions. Clio rushed over with the twins when Tony, who was wearing the Iron Man suit, flew passed her.

"Be careful!" he called out before he flew around the city.

"You too," she muttered worriedly as she caught up with the twins.

The three of them went to the center of the city. The sun was just about to rise. Few people were on the streets going to school or going to work, some were staring at them with a curious look. People were probably getting ready for the day, not knowing this could be their last.

"I'll try to get the police to involve to help us," Pietro informed them to which they nodded in agreement. He rushed at top speed forward, leaving the two of them behind.

"I'll try to enter their minds to persuade them to evacuate," Wanda offered as she started using her powers.

"Okay. I'll go to the schools and hospitals then," she offered but then stopped by Wanda.

"They might not believe you because you're an American. Try to get most of them near me and I'll enter their minds," Wanda suggested.

With a heavy sigh, Clio nodded. she dashed towards the other side of the city that was not yet covered up by the others. She couldn't do manipulation but she had to try to at least convince them.

She entered a building that looked like a school. 'So, how do I do this?' she thought to herself. 'Gather them up first?'

With a nod, she grabbed a broom from a closet and started banging the lockers outside the classroom. "Everybody, get out now!" she yelled when teachers and students poke their heads out of the classroom. "Evacuate the city now! I repeat, evacuate the city!"

"Hey you, stop causing a ruckus or we'll call the police!" one of the teachers threatened with his heavy Sokovian accent, making Clio stopped in her tactics.

'Okay, that didn't go as plan,' she thought.

"Sir, you don't understand. The city is currently being targeted. We need to flee right now," she persuaded. Her words made a stir from some teachers and students who were watching the scene but no one dared to move.

The teacher who she was talking to glared harder. "Oh, no. I know that accent. You're an American," he accused, pointing a finger in her direction. "You, Americans, are the reason why we keep suffering. You think Sokovia is your battleground?"

Clio rose her brows in surprise. "What? This is not the time for you to be pointing fingers! The city is in danger!"

"Get out of here!" he yelled making Clio take a step back.

'What now?' she thought as she clenched her fist around the broom she was holding. 'Their minds are closed. They're afraid.'

 _'Then they should be,'_ sneered the voice. _'If you can't persuade them with your words, then use the fear inside them.'_

'What? I was told not to cause any panic!'

 _'A panic which will vanish once they entered the center where the witch can manipulate their minds. I thought you were smarter than this?'_ the voice said in annoyance.

Clio bit her lip. She knew that from the beginning when Wanda offered her help. But she figured that maybe she could do it without any help from the others; without lifting an ounce of her powers.

 _'Why can't you just accept the fact that you have your own powers? It had been a part of you ever since you were born. It was suppressed by something which I could not figure out what. I was just the catalyst to reopening it.'_

"Well?" the teacher prompted. "Get out of here before I'm going to be the one to throw you out!"

When she didn't budge, the teacher sighed and walked forward.

'Screw this,' she thought as she threw the broom on the floor and with a small portion of aura on her fist, she slammed it over the locker giving it huge damage to the point where the wall made a few cracks and unto the ceiling.

She waved her hands around her and black aura started pooling out from under her feet. Using her powers still made her feel uneasy and she cringed as the familiar sinister aura swirled around her.

"Get out now," she growled as she summoned energy on her palm and slammed it back to the locker room, shattering it.

Screams and shout soon followed after. Everyone inside scrambled out of the school and into the center of the city. She used an energy boost from her hand to make her float. She, well, terrorized the people towards the Wanda who glanced in surprise at the sudden rush of people.

Wanda turned to her with a raised brow.

"They don't want to listen to me," Clio defended when she landed next to her. "And you said that I should get them to you, remember?"

Wanda shrugged her shoulder and smirked. "That's fair enough," she replied then pointed at the opposite side of the town. "Cap and Hawkeye need a helping hand."

"Okay," she replied and dashed off.

"Hurry!" she shouted over to the throng of people.

Clio tried to squeeze herself past the people who were rushing to evacuate.

"Damn," she grunted when a burly man bumped her shoulder almost knocking her off. A vein almost popped on her forehead when another one bumped into her. "Be careful!" she growled at the man who stuttered his apologies.

 _'Losing your temper in the middle of a crowd may not be the best idea,'_ the voice pointed.

"I know that," she growled under her breath. 'Why are you suddenly reminding me? Isn't that what you want?' she snapped.

The voice was quiet for a moment. _'Who said that's what I want? You don't even know what I truly want,'_ it sneered.

'Shut up,' she snapped again as she finally got passed the throng of people.

Just as she was about to pass a coffee shop, An old man fell down the ground, wheezing. The old woman with whom he was with tried to make him stand but to no avail. Clio's heartache as she rushed over to them. The old woman glanced at her in surprise, her widened eyes held fear as she stared at her.

"Hey, hey, I got him. It's okay," she assured as she pulled the old man on her shoulder. "Let's go."

"Thank you," the wife replied in relief as they pushed their selves out of the crowd.

She rushed towards an old Chevy and knocked on its window. The window was pulled down and revealed a woman, her eyes panic at the sight of her.

"Hi," she greeted and tried to smile. "Is there a room inside? Can you accommodate two more?" she asked in a rushed voice.

The woman nodded, fearing for whatever was happening right. She opened the back door and saw a child sleeping in the baby seat. Clio let the older woman sat next to the baby and she opened the passenger seat for the old man. She closed the door and smiled at them.

"Be careful. Get away as much as you can from the city, alright?" she said and when they nodded, she took a step back.

"Thank you for helping us. Please be careful," he said sincerely to which surprised Clio.

Her heart warmed and she could feel her eyes starting to water. She was just being feared a while ago by these people and now they were wishing for her to be careful.

But before she could nod in answer, the ground shook and vibrated from under her feet. Her eyes widened in horror when a suit appeared below the car and lifted it up.

Screams echoed from inside the car as Clio tried to stop the suit. She summoned a huge amount of energy from her palm and blasted off the suit. The car propelled down to the ground as she tried to summon the energy to lessen their fall but was not avail.

Before the car could hit the ground, a red aura gathered around it and levitated from the air before gently laying it on the ground.

Clio turned around, grateful to see Wanda breathing heavily.

"Go, now!" she ordered the driver to which she nodded and hurled the car forward.

With a sigh, Clio turned to Wanda. "Thank you," she said.

Wanda stared at her for a moment. "You get too attached easily. That's your flaw," her newfound mutant friend pointed out surprising Clio for a bit.

"I-I... W-What?" Clio stammered.

"Duck!" Wanda warned and without a second thought, Clio duck just in time for a red wave of energy passed over her head.

When she turned around she saw a suit of armor broken and fell on the ground.

"And you easily lose focus," Wanda added before dashing off to the others.

Clio glared at her back when she recovered. "Thanks for pointing that out," she muttered under her breath and blasted a suit that was aiming at Wanda. She could hear the voice inside her head laughing at her expense.

Couldn't this day get any more thrilling?

* * *

A/N: Hey, guys! As promised, here's the next chapter! Please leave a review of what you think about it. Thank you!


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